MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- A woman who lost her husband in 2006 said thieves broke into her home and stole his ashes and her dog.

When her beloved husband Cyril died, Delores Campbell's children bought her a Yorkie puppy to keep her company. She named the dog CC -- her husband's initials.

Campbell said she returned home from her job as a teacher's aide on Wednesday afternoon and knew something was wrong when CC wasn't in his usual place.

"When I didn't see him at the window, I said, 'Oh, my god. I'm in trouble,'" she said.

Campbell walked into the house, calling for her dog, and went into the bedroom.

"This room was turned upside-down, just like a hurricane had been in here," she said.

The window had been shattered by a rock. Later, Campbell realized the box containing her husband's ashes was missing from the drawer. The flat-screen TV, the computer and the checkbook were all still there.

"It's cruel, but at the same time it's very odd," said Sgt. Bill Bamford of the Miami Gardens Police Department.

"Why would you take the ashes? What purpose?" she said. "I just don't understand why."

Police said they think it is possible that the thieves stole the dog as a gift for someone. Whatever the reason, Campbell's heart is broken.

"He would just play. I'd play with him and pick him up and kiss him and hug him, and play with toys. He used to love to run and go get the ball," she said. "That was our life. They took my life away."

Campbell said she doesn't think anyone would do this to be mean to her and that she does not have any enemies. She said she hopes someone finds the dog, which has an identifying microchip, and returns her husband's ashes.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Miami Gardens Police Department.