LA MESA, Calif. (KGTV) - A brazen break-in has left an East County man without a priceless keepsake that belonged to his mother.
Jarrod Gerardot and his husband Joel returned to their home on Jackson Drive Sunday evening and found a smashed patio door. Every room was ransacked.
The thieves stole more than 10 pieces of jewelry, including their engagement bands.
But it's the item stolen with a watch case that sparked the most emotion: a rosary belonging to his mother - worn during the viewing - after she passed from breast cancer in 2009.
As it turns out, just before the burglary, a young woman rang their doorbell and asked for a name the couple didn't recognize. Gerardo now believes she may have been casing his home.
A neighbor saw two young men in baseball caps leave the home with a pillow case before driving off in a white hatchback.
The missing black-beaded rosary was in a white pouch labeled, "My rosary." If you have information on the case call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
