A woman who moved from Australia last October said she was the victim of a car burglary in Salado last Sunday night.
Louise Watkins said she had two suitcases filled with family pictures and her children's favorite toys but between Sunday night and Monday morning those items were taken out her car.
"Couple of the items in the suitcase were very sentimental. There were family photographs that we can't replace," Watkins said.
She said she had left them in the car because she was waiting for someone to help her get the heavy suitcases out of her vehicle.
The mother of two said when she noticed something was wrong when she went to her car on Monday afternoon and the center console and glove compartment were open.
"Realizing the suitcases were gone, my heart sank and it just made me feel sick," Watkins said.
One of the two suitcases, which weighed 70 pounds, contained LEGO's her children had collected over the years and received for Christmas.
"Every birthday or Christmas, LEGO's is what they asked for. The items they chose to bring were some of their favorites," Watkins said.
Watkins said her and her husband Tim had the dream of moving to the U.S. since they visited their country during their honeymoon in 2005.
"We're so lucky to have been able to come here and fulfill a dream that we've had for such a long time," Watkins said.
Watkins came to the U.S. in October to start a job as a nurse. Her husband and two boys are expected to arrive to the country in a month.
She said the family is still looking forward to moving to the U.S. even after what happened.
" We're impressed with how welcome we feel. I don't feel it has shattered our dreams," Watkins said.
Watkins believes her car was locked but she said there was no visible damage in the car. Salado Police are investigating this case and three other car burglaries they said happened that same night, in the same area. According to the department, all of the four cars were unlocked as they didn't have signs of forced entry. In addition, Salado PD believes a few burglaries that occurred in Belton on Sunday night are linked to these ones.
Watkins is offering up to $1,000 if the items are returned. If you see them, you can contact Watkins at cookiewatkins76@gmail.com.
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