Langley RCMP are trying to find out who ransacked an elderly woman's home, after she had to abandon it to live in a care home.
“It was as if a giant had taken the house, picked it up, shaken it for ten minutes and then put it back down," said one Langley officer who went to the woman's home to investigate.
The home is in the 2500 block of 206 Street and was broken into sometime in late May or early June, while the homeowner, who is in her late 80s, was living at a care home.
Police were called on June 4, after a friend of the homeowner went to check on the property. It had been vacant for nearly two years, said Cpl. Holly Marks.
Thieves got in through the rear of the house and the entire home had been picked through.
Few items of value remained in the residence. The thieves turned off the electrical service, and cut down power lines to remove the copper wire. Approximately 100 feet of cable and ground service wire for 200 amp service (likely 4 gauge) and all the visible copper pipes were taken from in and under the buildings on the property, said Marks.
A number of items were taken from the property including an electric motor from a garden chipper, a three-speed bicycle, a dark mahogany dining room table and four chairs upholstered with a floral pattern, a book case with glass doors, two western saddles, a Nightwatcher surveillance camera and over 30 78 rpm phonograph records.
More notably, an especially old King James Version family Bible and a complete military uniform from the Second World War were taken. The uniform had the markings of a beaver and crown, marked with “Royal Westminster Regiment Number 47."
"Thankfully, a local church has volunteered to clean up the residence," said Marks.
If anyone has information that would assist police in recovering the stolen property or identifying the person(s) responsible for this crime, call Langley RCMP at 604-532-3200. Should you need to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.