Heirloom lost when SUV is stolen
This picture shows Kayla Heckman and her brother, Brandon Dailey, who passed away in 2017. A necklace with strands of his hair is missing. It was in her SUV when it was stolen on Sunday. PHOTO PROVIDED
This necklace was lost after the SUV it was in was stolen. It belongs to Kayla Heckman and contains a few strands of hair that were her brother’s. He passed away in 2017. PHOTO PROVIDED
This necklace was lost after the SUV it was in was stolen. It belongs to Kayla Heckman and contains a few strands of her brother’s hair. He died in 2017. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
In the early morning hours on Sunday, three teenage boys allegedly stole a 2011 Highlander in Lehighton. They were caught, but a very special necklace is still missing.
Kayla Heckman, owner of the SUV, said the police told her the boys are only around 14 years old.
The missing necklace contains a few strands of her brother’s hair. Her brother, Brandon Dailey, passed away in 2017.
“He was passionate about his hair,” she said. “He had awesome hair.”
The three teenagers were staying at the Concern Treatment Center for Boys, which is a residential facility that works with troubled adolescent males between the ages of 12 and 21. The boys left the facility without permission, according to the state police at Lehighton.
After leaving the facility, located just off Route 443 north of Lehighton, they made their way down toward town and found Heckman’s SUV parked at the Carbon Plaza Mall. Her husband had gone out to go exercise at the gym. That’s when the boys took off with it around 1:30 a.m.
According to Pennsylvania State Police trooper Richard Holota, the Mahoning Township Police Department were the first to begin searching for the boys and notified the state police around 3 a.m.
Police think the boys got on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and traveled south. The state police put out an all-points bulletin to other police departments to look for the stolen SUV.
A couple hours later, the boys were spotted by the Cheltenham Township Police Department on Route 309 in Montgomery County. They were pulled over and arrested about 5:40 a.m., Holota said.
A representative from the Cheltenham police department said the boys did not have the locket on them when they were taken into custody.
“My worry is that they threw it out the window,” Heckman said.
When she got her vehicle back, Heckman said she searched everywhere inside for the locket. Nothing.
“I always had it hanging on my mirror up front,” she said. “It was my sweet reminder that part of him was with me, and keeping me safe. It gave me comfort while driving.”
Since getting her vehicle back, Heckman noticed on the GPS unit the boys had stopped in Allentown on Hamilton Boulevard. She thinks that if they threw it out, then maybe it is lying somewhere along the road between Lehighton and Cheltenham Township.
Or maybe it was thrown in the garbage with the other items from the vehicle. Also missing are her children’s swimming clothes, pool items, car parts and car information.
“I pray these young kids tell the truth, and give it back and find their way back on a straight path to a better future,” Heckman said.
If anyone finds the necklace, please contact the local police department.
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