SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A local couple is making a plea for the return of some family heirlooms after a burglary at their home while it was being fumigated.
The mess Denise Duffy walked into is now stamped in her mind and heart.
"Very upsetting. I just felt very sick," said Duffy.
Just off 54th street in Oak Park, after several days of termite treatment, Duffy and her husband met the fumigation crew Wednesday morning so they could get back in their home. Turns out, somebody else had been inside. The tent was sliced open, along with a screen window on the side of the house. The thief ransacked the entire house, stealing electronics and dozens of pieces of jewelry, most of them family heirlooms.
"My parents are dead. My grandparents are dead, and I had a piece of them," said Duffy.
Among the pieces that priceless heirlooms was a gold necklace she wore at her wedding nearly 40 years ago, given to her by her grandfather. Also gone was her husband's gold wedding band.
"It's pretty tough on you ... brings back memories. Stuff you hope to have for your kids," he said.
The Duffys aren't alone. Last week in El Cajon, there was a burglary with a similar M.O. A home - two days into a fumigation - was broken into after the tent was sliced open overnight. In that case, a senior couple lost jewelry, coins and other valuables collected during their lifetimes. The pain of their loss is shared by the Duffys.
"Just a violation ... Can't replace any of it," said Denise.
Her husband's wedding band engraved with their wedding date '11-28-80' and 'Love Never Fails.'
It's unknown right now if there's a link between the two crimes.
