Family’s Christmas Gifts Stolen

Two little girls are expecting Santa to deliver presents on Christmas Eve. Their mom didn?t expect for the family car to be stolen and stripped for parts.

Mom said she was devastated, not because of the car, but because of what was inside the trunk: her daughters’ Christmas presents.

Desarae, 3, can?t wait for Santa to come. She wonders how Santa will get into the apartment she lives in if it doesn?t have a chimney.

?Oh no,? said Desarae. ?How are we going to get any (presents)??

In fact, that is her mom?s concern after her car was stolen from the parking lot of her apartment complex. ?It was completely stripped of everything,? said Melissa DeBlois. ?It?s gone. There’s no fixing it. And all of my girls’ Christmas presents were in the trunk. So, all of those are gone too.?

The presents were in the trunk so that her daughter Makenzie, 7, wouldn?t find them.

?Our apartment is so small and she’s 7, so she tends to snoop so I thought that was a safe place to keep things hidden,? said DeBlois. ?It was a great place to hide things, but people can find them still, just not her.?

The only presents under the tree are the ones Makenzie has made for others by hand.

?I’m really trying to figure things out and it’s going to take time, but you know Christmas is in a week and, yeah, I don’t know what I’m going to do.?

But Desarae knows one thing for sure about the whole situation. ?We have to be nice, right?? she asked from her mom?s lap. ?They should say sorry. They have to drive over here and say sorry.?

Joshua McKinley, 18, has been arrested on felony charges, including theft of auto parts, in connection with the incident. Police are still searching for others who may have been involved.

The car was a 1999 Honda Civic, which, according to police is a model often targeted by thieves for parts.

If you would like to help the family, feel free to contact DeBlois at melissadeblois@yahoo.com.