PACKED TO MOVE & WE LOST THE LOT
A GOLD COAST family have been left with nothing but the clothes on their back after their fully loaded car was taken while they slept.
Parents Keine Santos and her partner Ricardo Scandolara were packed and ready to move from their Broadbeach Waters home last week, with all of their worldly possessions tucked into their Mitsubishi Outlander.
In terrible timing, it was taken during a chilling home invasion that night.
Ms Santos said her sevenyear-old son was the only one to hear the intruders, who made off with the family’s car full of photo albums, jewellery and clothing.
At their wits end, the couple are now desperate to get their items back.
“It was raining outside that night and my son came into the bed saying he heard a noise,” Ms Santos said.
“I told him it wasn’t anything, we let him sleep in our room, he is just seven and we didn’t believe it was anything.”
However instead of being a child’s nightmare, the family woke to discover the noises were real and their car was gone.
“We had nothing left, we had everything in the car. I had just the pyjamas I was wearing,” Ms Santos said.
“We lost thousands of dollars worth of items, our lives, even our important documents for things like immunisations.”
From Brazil, the family are already struggling as they juggle the impacts of COVID-19 restrictions on job opportunities.
“We had hoped to start doing Uber to earn some money, as we are just living off savings for the moment,” Ms Santos said.
After posting a call-out online, Ms Santos said she received a call from a young man claiming to be the person who took the car.
“I am still waiting for the police to follow up on this,” she said.
“When we got the call he told us he felt bad but had already sold it. He said he even went to the station but no one believed it was him.
“We are just so scared and helpless, we just need something done.”
Queensland Police confirmed a man had attended the Southport Police Station counter on September 14 in a confused state and was uncooperative when he was being questioned by the police.
A police spokesman said: “The man, who said he was homeless, did not provide details about any specific offence and officers were not in a position to take further action.
“Police checked his identity to see if he was wanted for any criminal matters which he was not. Due to the man’s confused state he was offered medical assistance which he declined,” the spokesman said.
However upon receiving further information, police have issued an arrest warrant for an 18-year-old man in connection to the unlawful use of a motor vehicle and burglary.