A Del Mar Heights couple is offering a $2,500 reward for the capture of the man who stole $85,000 worth of heirloom jewelry from their home last week.
The break-in happened on May 21 just before 10 p.m. while Charisse and Martin Caniff were home.
The victims showed NBC 7 one especially important clue the burglar left behind. Soon after dark, the image of the alleged burglar came into view in the Caniff’s rear doorbell camera.
“When I think about him in my house, it just makes me want to puke,” Charisse said.
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Charisse and her husband Martin were upstairs watching TV in their living room at the time.
“We’re through the devastation, crying, and now we’re pissed, and we want to get this guy,“ Martin said.
Well, almost through the crying.
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“It’s my wedding ring. They were all anniversary presents from Martin. It was all special jewelry, and it’s something that can’t be replaced,” Charisse said.
The Caniff’s say the thief stole $85,000 worth of heirloom jewelry. Charisse cleaned it, then left it out on the bathroom counter to dry. The thief was in and out of their Caminito Mar Villa home in just minutes.
Martin says the suspect came from the back of the property and over a landscaped hill. The suspect got to the back patio, but instead of going directly inside, he first looked straight into the Ring camera.
Thanks to the flashlight he brought, investigators get a clear picture of every hesitation, worry and curious expression on his face.
This is the first time the Caniff's saw the man, but at least one other neighbor insists he recorded him on a nature camera lurking around the community years before this.
“We’re the best advertisement for Ring cameras. Right now, everybody around is buying one,” Martin said.
They’re glad to have the alleged burglar’s image on camera. But the whole neighborhood will feel more at ease with him in police custody.
The Caniff's are spending this weekend circulating flyers in the community with the suspect’s face on them in hopes someone recognizes him.
