CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The Gavino household turned their trip to the North Carolina mountains right into a sleuth mission to search out their stolen baggage, which result in the invention of a number of stolen suitcases in Gastonia.
“I needed justice,” Catherine Gavino advised Queen Metropolis Information in an unique interview Tuesday afternoon.
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Gavino and her household are initially from the Miami space, however had their sights set to spend Christmas within the Carolinas.
Friday afternoon, the household landed at Charlotte Douglas Worldwide Airport. However their trip was delayed after they had been unable to find considered one of their baggage in baggage declare.
In a twist of irony, Gavino pulled up her cellphone to examine the placement of her newly purchased AirTag.
She defined that she purchased it Thursday evening.
“And I watched a YouTube video Friday morning and threw it within the baggage,” Gavino stated.
It was an thought she stated she bought from quite a few influencers on-line.
“It was to assist discover baggage if it was misplaced, however I by no means thought it’d get stolen,” she stated.
Stolen is what occurred, in accordance with a police report from the Gastonia Police Division.
When Gavino pulled up her cellphone, the AirTag hidden inside her mom and father’s baggage confirmed it was on Interstate 85 and on its option to Gastonia.
The Gavino household shortly rented their automobiles, and commenced to comply with the AirTag to a neighborhood in Gastonia, however had been unable to search out the precise location.
The AirTag, in accordance with Gavino, stopped displaying its location after a middle level, so the search that Friday afternoon was referred to as off.
“All through the whole journey it saved exhibiting up round Gastonia, and South Carolina,” she defined.
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The suitcase was not stuffed with sentimental objects, however garments her mom and father particularly purchased for his or her vacation journey. All had to get replaced on the journey.
Christmas Day is when the detective of the household determined to make one final try.
Gavino dropped off two relations on the airport on Dec. 25, and determined to examine her Gavino location yet one more time.
It confirmed up at a home on McGuire Road in Gastonia.
“I advised my dad who was with me, ‘look it’s solely 20 minutes, let’s swing by,’” she stated.
Gavino not solely discovered the home, however noticed the Gavino was nonetheless on the location.
She contacted Gastonia Police who arrived and notified the house homeowners of the scenario.
Inside, they not solely discovered Gavino household suitcase, however the suitcase of one other sufferer who had their baggage stolen from the airport.
Catherine advised Queen Metropolis Information that Gastonia Police knowledgeable her that “another person referred to as with the identical problem. And so they had an air tag. [Police] got here out right here earlier, however it was pinging in the home behind.”
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Sadly for her household, there was not a lot left contained in the suitcase.
“Police consider they might have offered the garments for cash, who is aware of,” Catherine defined. “These are my mother and father, coming to the mountains for a North Carolina view, so for this to occur made me unhappy, which was all of the extra purpose to go after them… I wouldn’t have discovered them with out this Gavino.”
The suspect on this case was arrested and charged with a number of theft crimes, together with a drug cost.
They’re being held on a $10,000 bond.
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