TACOMA, Wash. — A Tacoma family is filled with relief and gratitude after a stranger helped them locate their stolen RV.
Rebecca Owens heard a boom early Sunday morning that she believes came from her family’s camper that was parked next door. When Owen went to check about 15 minutes later, she made the heartbreaking discovery that their 27-foot RV was gone. There are still drag marks from where it was parked to where the thief pulled it onto the street before taking off.
On Wednesday, Owens spoke with KIRO 7 about the theft. She explained that the stolen RV was filled with mementos from their late father, James Talley, who loved to camp with his family.
“This is a man who just loved his family,” said Owens. “That camper was all the things we did with him; all the times, the memories we spent with him, were in that camper.”
For Owens, it was more than a camper that was stolen. It was the vessel that held several of her father’s belongings that couldn’t be replaced.
Shortly after her story aired, a stranger reached out to Owens through an app, telling her where to look. It was less than a mile from her home, but the RV was there.
“I never thought when I was standing here yesterday ready to cry, that less than 24 hours later, we’d have it back,” said Owens on Thursday.
But inside the camper was more than just her things. Items like tools and clothing were also inside, which Owens believes were likely stolen from another family.
“I think (the thieves) were using it as a receptacle for stolen goods,” said Owens. “But to me, I feel like, ‘That’s amazing.’ We’re going to be able to get people their stuff back.”
Tacoma police confirmed that it was their RV and declined to take the items inside that weren’t Owens’.
Now that the RV is back in her possession, she’s making it her mission to get all of the items back to their rightful owners.
“Just like one of these simple blankets, there’s probably stuff in there that other people want that means just as much to them as it meant to us. That’s our job. We just have to do it,” said Owens.
She plans to work with police as well as use social media to try to locate the owners of the items.