ATLANTA — The family of a 1-year-old cancer patient, who had precious items stolen from their car while in Atlanta for treatment, has gotten some of their things back, police say.
On Wednesday, Hailey Holder was in Atlanta for an oncology meeting. They had parked at the Sheraton Hotel downtown overnight, but when her parents got to their car, they found everything they left inside gone.
"Our windows are tinted so it was all black glass, the entire window was missing. Her carseat was filled with black glass," explained Hailey Allen. "It's just heartbreaking. We have a little girl fighting for her life, and we've been in the hospital so many times."
The thieves took her daughter's cancer diary, where the family has cataloged every step of their journey. They also stole Hailey Holder's medication and the beads of courage she collects every time she completes a treatment.
"Who would take that stuff," Allen asked. "Every poke, every scan, every chemo. There's no telling how many of those are missing. And those are really sentimental, they're representative of our journey."
Both Atlanta Police and City of South Fulton Police had been searching for the suspects since the family notified officers. In an update Friday, the family told police they were contacted by their doctor, who said a man contacted them to say he had found a bag at a gas station that had many of the personal items that had been stolen.
"We believe the man who found the bag at a gas station in Union City is a Good Samaritan and contacted the family’s doctor, whose contact information was listed in some of the stolen items," police explained in an update. "We also believe the family got back some of the items of sentimental value, including the child’s journals and cancer beads, along with some medication."
However, police said some of the other items - like Allen's laptop and a Nintendo switch - were still missing. Atlanta Police said officers executed a search warrant to look for those valuables at a home in South Fulton, where the family had tracked some of its property earlier this week. None of the items were there.
Police said no arrests have been made at this time, but investigators are continuing to "diligently work the case."
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