SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a pair of crooks who stole thousands of dollars worth of heirlooms from an elderly couple’s home.
Enrique, 88, and Raquel Macia, 82, were inside of their home, located in the area of Southwest 81st Drive and Camino Circle, at around 3 p.m., on May 29, when a man and a woman showed up to their door posing as landscapers.
Detectives said the woman distracted the elderly victims and lured them outside while the man went inside the home and took their valuables.
“She was very nervous,” Raquel Macia said. “The man was OK, but she was nervous, and I could see it.”
The thieves left the scene before the victims noticed approximately $30,000 worth of their family heirlooms missing, including Raquel’s mother’s engagement ring and wedding band.
“I didn’t realize what had happened until the next day,” Raquel Macia said. “The wedding band has my dad’s name, her name and the date of the wedding. It’s very sad to lose that. They got me good.”
Cecilia Ribas, the couple’s daughter, was furious when she found out her parents had been duped.
“She feels like such a fool, and there’s nothing we can say or do to her to take that away,” Ribas said. “I have nothing nice to say about them. I cannot imagine the type of person who would take advantage of two people like that. She had them there for about 20, 25 minutes and told them that they couldn’t leave that if they left, she would get fired.”
Police have released sketches of the man and woman believed to be behind the heist.
The woman stands approximately 5 feet 2 inches tall, has short, black hair and was last seen wearing a white V-neck shirt and colored pants.
Officials said the man stands approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall, has short black hair and was last seen wearing a khaki short and navy pants.
“She trusted them,” Ribas said. “The woman got a text, said, ‘Oh, OK. Thank you,’ and left, and my parents went back in, and they didn’t notice until the next day that everything was taken. I was pissed. I was so mad that someone would do that to any elderly couple, not just my parents.”
Meanwhile, Raquel said she has taken measures to make sure the robbery doesn’t happen again.
“I have an alarm on the door. They’re gonna put alarms on the windows,” she said, “so I just have to remember not to open the door.”
“Please call because they’re gonna do it to someone else, and it could be your parents,” Ribas said.
If you have any information on this residential burglary, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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