Cops: Suitcases with $3K of grooming equipment stolen from airport baggage claim
Like 0 Dislike 0 Published on 13 Jan 2015
Woman sought in luggage theft at Daytona Beach International Airport.
Deputies are searching for the woman they say stole suitcases full of thousands of dollars worth of specialized pet grooming equipment at the Daytona Beach International Airport baggage claim.
Volusia County investigators released surveillance photos Monday afternoon hoping someone would recognize the woman seen swiping the luggage from the carousel.
Deputies said the woman was caught on camera at the airport on Dec. 22 as Delta Flight 1087 was arriving from Atlanta. They said she was seen grabbing two suitcases that didn't belong to her and loading them into a green Honda Element that picked her up at the airport curb.
The victim, Daytona Beach Shores resident Hope Gonano, had more than $3,000 worth of cat-grooming equipment and personal items. Gonano is the owner of a show cat, a heavily decorated one. They were returning from winning a competition in Pennsylvania.
"I'm thinking that it was all premeditated, for sure. I mean, who does that?" said Gonano.
Deputies released surveillance pictures of the woman, who appears to have short brown hair and was wearing a red jacket. Deputies said the woman appeared to be between the ages of 45 and 55 years old.
"She looks just like an ordinary housewife to me. She doesn't look like a criminal," said Gonano about the surveillance photos.
According to investigators, the woman was seen taking the suitcases then ripping off the tags and tossing them in the trash can.
"I'm sure the woman that took it is disappointed that she can't get more than she wanted, obviously for whatever reason, but that stuff is extremely valuable to me," said Gonano.
"Give me my stuff back, please. What are you going to do with my cat grooming stuff and gifts from my husband that were personal to me?" said Gonano.
Contact Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida at 888-277-TIPS if you have any information on the woman's identity.
Local 6 is waiting to hear back from Delta Airlines on narrowing down a suspect with the passenger list.