An elderly woman in East Los Angeles begged a thief to return a necklace that holds her late daughter’s ashes after it was stolen last Monday.
Theft in a Distraction Scam
Esther Guerrero, 75, said the theft happened when a woman got out of a white car in front of her house and asked for directions to a pharmacy. After Guerrero gave directions, the woman thanked her, offered cash and a ring, which Guerrero refused. The woman then claimed her mother was sick and asked Guerrero to pray. She put a necklace around Guerrero’s neck and left. When Guerrero’s husband noticed the necklace was missing, she realized the thief had swapped her necklace for a cheap chain. “The lady had cut it from me in three seconds,” Guerrero recalled in Spanish.
The Necklace and Its Significance
Guerrero explained that the cross has a screw and inside it contains her daughter’s ashes. She always carried it on her chest. Her son-in-law had given her and her husband matching gold cross necklaces with wings, both containing the ashes of their daughter, Veronica Garcia Guerrero. “My daughter at the sheriff’s department helped a lot of people. Now I need help,” Guerrero said.
Police Response and Prevention Tips
The LA County Sheriff’s Department confirmed a theft report was filed last week, and detectives from its Major Crimes Bureau are handling the investigation. No arrests have been made as of Monday. Authorities warn of a series of organized distraction thefts targeting elderly Hispanic men and women. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, two suspects-a man and a woman-approach victims in a rented vehicle during daylight, ask for prayer, directions, or compliment jewelry. “Once engaged, the suspects offer the victim a better piece of jewelry,” according to a police statement. “Using a sleight-of-hand trick, they place fake jewelry around the victim’s neck while simultaneously stealing the real piece.”
The LAPD offers several tips to prevent victimization:
- Avoid engaging with strangers who approach from inside a vehicle.
- Report suspicious activity, including unfamiliar vehicles lingering in residential areas. If possible, document the license plate number and note a description of the suspects.
- If you become a victim, avoid handling the fake jewelry with bare hands to help preserve potential DNA evidence.
- Continue to inform and assist the elderly community, who generally do not monitor social media and are not always accustomed to following crime-prevention tips.
Key Takeaways
- Elderly East LA woman seeks return of necklace with daughter’s ashes after theft last Monday.
- Theft employed distraction-scam tactics, swapping real necklace for a cheap chain.
- Police investigate; no arrests yet.
The incident highlights the vulnerability of elderly residents to distraction thefts and the importance of community vigilance and prompt reporting.
