By admin 
A Valley couple says a mistake at a Phoenix storage facility cost them far more than money, claiming their unit was auctioned off without their knowledge, leaving them searching for family heirlooms, personal keepsakes, even a loved one’s ashes.
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When Dave Namesnik and Angel Langner moved into an extended stay hotel, they say they trusted a nearby storage facility to protect decades of memories.
“They’ve got cameras everywhere,” Langner said. “The security measures there, I figured everything would be safe.”
Then on June 16th, they say they received a notice that their unit had been emptied.
“My dogs’ ashes were in there,” Langner said, crying.
“Our kids’ baby teeth, 80-year-old portrait of my mother that hung over her daughter’s bed for 23 years,” Namesnik added. “My dad’s military uniforms from the Korean War and the Marine Corps are gone.”
The couple shared emails and receipts with ABC15. One shows they paid more than $500 on May 5th to bring their account current and remove a lien that could have triggered an auction.
They say they were later told the unit had been cleared anyway.
“We jumped in the car and went over,” Langner said. “God, of must have taken him what, half an hour of looking through the computer, and then he goes, ‘Oh, it was sold on the 13th at auction.’ I’m like, ‘What do you mean?’”
Phoenix Police confirm they took a report.
Storage King USA provided the following statement to ABC15:
“We are aware of this matter and are taking it very seriously. A full investigation is underway, and we are cooperating with the appropriate parties.”
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We asked the company whether an error was made, and if they could contact an auction buyer or offer the couple any reimbursement. A spokesperson said: “Because that investigation is ongoing, we aren’t able to comment on the specifics at this time.”
“I hope that we can retrieve any of the items that were irreplaceable,” Namesnik said.
The family is working on an insurance claim to cover $2,000, but claim the lost property is worth much more.
They say the true loss is what can’t be replaced, including the ashes of Namesnik’s mother. A longtime dog trainer, he says also the ashes of his dogs were inside.
“Several of the dogs that were in there, my will states, were to be mixed with my ashes and scattered,” Namesnik said.
Now the couple says they’re searching for an attorney, and hoping someone who bought items in the unit may come forward with the family heirlooms they fear are gone forever.
“Everything else, we can spend another 20 years and replace it, but the ashes, the kids’ stuff?” Langner said. “Over 20 years of our life was in that storage unit. It’s gone.”
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