Mother Asking Strangers to Return Items Advertised on Craigslist

An East County woman is pleading for the return of her daughter's belongings after she says someone advertised the items for free on Craigslist.

“I mean it's ridiculous,” Kimberlye Thalheimer told NBC 7 San Diego in an exclusive interview. “That's not right to take my daughter’s stuff.”

Thalheimer was preparing to take the belongings --- that were sitting in the back of her carport -- into storage.

On Tuesday, she returned home to find the boxes sitting on the curb and two strangers helping themselves.

It turns out someone had posted an advertisement with her address on Craigslist just two hours before with the instructions: "Please do not dig through boxes. Must take and remove from property by tonight."

“I mean who does that kind of thing?” Thalheimer said. “It’s quite a bit of stuff. It didn't take them two minutes to put it down there. I'm sure somebody saw them pull it down there.”

Thalheimer believes a disgruntled neighbor is responsible for posting the ad, walking inside her carport and then dragging all of the boxes down to the curb for people to take.

She learned from the people who came to pick up some of the items that at least one other person had already grabbed some things and left before Thalheimer arrived home on Tuesday.

The next day, after she reported the incident to authorities, the ad was taken down. However, Thalheimer noticed more boxes were missing.

“I just think that it's really bad that the person you hurt the most is the child,” she explained. “It’s just stuff. I can buy new stuff, but that's not understandable to an 11-year-old.”

The items taken include an outdoor baker’s rack, flower pots, dolls and her daughter's small ATV. Thalheimer is asking for the people who took the items to return them.

Thalheimer is asking for the people who took the items to return them. She also hopes that anyone who may have seen someone dragging her belongings to the curb will report the information to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department.

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