Our heat wave has one West Seattle couple giving a warning: When you try cool off, you might get ripped off.
It happened in the Delridge neighborhood and the couple who spoke to KIRO 7 admitted that the smallest crack of an open window -- maybe just an inch -- gave the thieves all the space they needed to get in.
They took photography equipment that was part of their livelihood. For Lindsay Lewin, still photography is more than a hobby -- she calls it her side hustle and passion and it's created beautiful photos for clients and herself.
“That was pretty devastating to have that all taken," said Lewin.
Now that's gone after thieves took all her cameras and more, said Stuart Mitchell.
“It was a mental picture of everything in the house was just out of sorts, the way they tossed the living room the dining room ... it wasn't just a normal coming home," said Mitchell.
Lewin and Mitchell said they had gone out to dinner Saturday night for only a few hours. They came back to a ransacked house and Lewin strongly suspects the thieves came through a slightly open window,.
“Opportunity strikes and it's super tempting to leave things open."
The heat is rising and their warning is for people to close up their homes when they head out, especially the windows. Seattle Police 911 Maps showed at least six calls for suspicious people in the last 24 hours in the area of Delridge near the couple’s home.
Lewin and Mitchell are also pruning some of their trees and shrubs so neighbors can get a better look if they see anything suspicious: "This happened in broad daylight so... I don't know.. how nobody saw...”
The couple's dog was home while it happened and was not hurt but their sense of security is shattered. Lewin said the thieves took items of value that they could carry, took camping equipment and even grocery bags that they could use for the stolen items. They left behind some large items of value in the home, “they knew what they were looking for clearly.”
Mitchell made it clear that the incident had an impact but that they are also working to move on, “little bit of angry little bit of vulnerability at that point.”
The couple did report the incident to the police, but they're also hoping someone may have video surveillance in the area that caught something or someone. They're hoping anyone who saw anything suspicious will contact the authorities.
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