The theft of presents and clothing on Christmas morning ruined the holiday for one Nanaimo family this year.
“How do I explain this to my boys”, said Joseph Lanz, father and owner of the Nanaimo home where thieves stole presents from under the Christmas tree and even the stockings hanging off the walls in the family’s living room.
The break in occurred just after 3 a.m. on Christmas morning, as Joseph, his wife, and his two boys ages 10 and 14 were asleep in their beds upstairs. Lanz heard noise coming from the ground floor, and ventured downstairs.
Once there, he found his fridge door open, his cupboards ransacked, the family’s wrapped gifts taken, and the front door open.
Joseph then called 911 and police say that investigators and a police services dog were on the scene within minutes.
Nanaimo RCMP say that officers scoured the area and learned from a neighbouring resident that two males were seen running through the neighbourhood.
As the search continued, police found discarded gift wrapping and several of the gifts in the area where the two males had last been seen. Unfortunately, the suspects were not found.
Investigators determined that the suspects entered the home through an unlocked kitchen window and fled through the front door of the house.
Stolen items
Some of the more notable stolen items include two iPhone 10’s, Xbox games, and gift cards. The thieves also took clothing from almost every member of the family, including a pair of Joseph’s shoes, his wife’s brand new hooded sweatshirt, and one of his son’s new pink and black tie dyed hooded sweatshirt with a doughnut logo on the front.
Besides the gifts, Joseph’s truck keys were also stolen, forcing the Nanaimo father to take further measures to secure his vehicle.
“Sickening is how I would best describe it,” said Joseph in a news release, and police say his “sense of security has been shaken.”
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
