PORTLAND -- Two sisters moving their deceased aunt’s possessions from the Northwest to California had their rental truck stolen. The U-Haul was located Monday night in Vancouver, but it was empty.
Vancouver police said the stolen truck was noticed by a woman out walking who had seen the story about it on television. It was parked with other trucks on a side road near NE 127 Avenue & 56th Street. Nothing was inside. The family said it will be processed by Portland police for clues.
Sarah Williams and Julie Barkett spent the weekend with other family members in Vancouver, attending their aunt’s memorial service and attending to her estate. The sisters intended to drive the U-Haul to their hometown of Stockton, Calif.
“Everyone came over and helped us out yesterday. We unloaded her apartment and fit everything in the U-Haul and woke up this morning and it was gone,” Barkett said.
The aunt’s possessions were mostly of sentimental value to the sisters, who parked the truck behind the Holiday Inn Express on East Airport Way before it was stolen.
They checked on the truck periodically from their hotel window and also felt secure with the surveillance cameras in the parking lot. But somehow the 17-foot truck was still stolen - in full daylight, around 6:30 a.m. Monday.
“It upsets me that someone can be so brazen in broad daylight to steal something that wasn’t theirs, Williams said.
Police are still looking for a maroon full-sized pickup truck believed to be involved in the theft. It was seen on security video driving into the parking lot next to the U-Haul, then leaving right before the truck was driven away by thieves.
Anyone with information that may help investigators was asked to call Portland police.
