PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A Tampa Bay region family is asking for help in finding a U-Haul they said was stolen from a hotel parking lot in Pinellas County.
It was stolen either on or before Sept. 4, from the Holiday Inn parking lot located at 3535 Ulmerton Rd.
"It’s pieces of furniture that they have had for their whole marriage, for 35 years," Samantha Perez said.
Perez is the daughter of Stan and Shirley Brown. Her parents packed decades worth of belongings into a U-Haul moving from St. Louis, Missouri to Riverview.
The goal was to live near their children and grandchildren and packed their belongings in a 26-foot U-Haul, which can be seen below.
The storage truck contained family pictures, furniture and documents. Perez's parents spent two days driving the truck down to Florida.
"They left the U-Haul at the Holiday Inn. I guess they rent out their parking lot for $10 a day," Perez said.
On Sept. 4, they went to pick up the truck at that hotel along Ulmerton Rd. in Clearwater. When they arrived, the truck was gone and now, their new home in Riverview is currently empty.
"Their personal documents and family memorabilia, those would be the big things, emotionally too for them to get back," Perez said.
Investigators with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office say they are searching for the U-Haul truck.
Perez said security cameras at the Holiday Inn may not have been working and the family is asking the public for help.
"Furniture is very identifiable. They had very nice big furniture," Samantha said.
The family said their belongings are estimated to be worth about $43,000, which doesn't include clothes and tools that were inside of the truck. Brown explained renters insurance will cover some of the items stolen, but not all.
According to the Brown family, the situation isn’t about the money, it’s about the memories.
"You can tell it has been hard and emotional," Brown said of her parents.
10 Tampa Bay called the Holiday Inn to get insight on how they keep people’s belongings secure. A receptionist answered and said she was unaware of the theft. She also said no managers were available to contact back. A message was left by 10 Tampa Bay Reporter Shannon Clowe asking about the incident and how they are assisting the Brown family.
U-Haul released this information to 10 Tampa Bay:
As is the case with any criminal act of theft, the first step is to contact the police, make them aware of the crime and fill out a stolen vehicle report. Then our customer should contact their local U-Haul team, make us aware of the theft and provide us with a copy of the police report.
U-Haul employs a robust investigations unit that works closely with law enforcement on a daily basis to see that individuals engaged in criminal activity involving U-Haul equipment are captured and prosecuted.
We sympathize greatly with any customer who is a victim of theft. When our customers are victimized, we are also victimized and the communities we serve suffer when a shared-use vehicle that families use for their DIY moves is removed from circulation.
10 Tampa Bay also reached out to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office for statistics for the amount of U-Hauls stolen and if they are seeing an uptick. Their investigators say that they are looking into this information.