Reward offered for info leading to arrests, recovery of $200,000 in property taken from SunRiver home

2019 file photo for illustrative purposes only of St. George Police responding to an incident in St. George, Utah, April 10 | File photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

ST. GEORGE —  Police request the public’s help in recovering more than $200,000 in family heirlooms and other items reportedly taken during a residential burglary at SunRiver over the weekend. And a reward is being offered by the family for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators and recovery of the property.

2014 file photo for illustrative purposes only of St. George Police responding to a home in the SunRiver St. George community, St. George, Utah, Dec. 9, 2014 | Kimberly Scott, St. George News

The break-in took place on Saturday at a townhome in the SunRiver community in St. George sometime between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. The homeowner returned to the residence to find “things were moved around,” Trenton Luke told St. George News on Monday.

The resident knew something was not right, Luke said, and as the family went through the home, they discovered their jewelry box laying open and numerous pieces of jewelry missing.

Also reportedly stolen from inside of the residence was a safe – one that contained family heirlooms, precious metals, cash and other notable items.  The combined value of the missing items totals over $200,000, he said.

The family is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the recovery of the property and the arrest of the suspect(s) responsible, he added.

Luke added that the home that was burglarized belongs to a hard-working couple who had recently purchased the townhome and were still moving into the residence when the incident took place. He also they had planned to retire soon, but those plans may have to be put on hold since the property taken was a good portion of the couple’s nest egg.

He also said aside from the monetary loss, there were a number of family heirlooms taken that had been passed down from one generation to the next, so they were sentimental in value — and irreplaceable.

Luke said this was the second time this townhome has been burglarized, adding the first break-in took place while the home was still under construction. The suspects took a brand-new washer/dryer set, shower glass and other items from the unfinished dwelling.

The bulk of the property taken during the incident was uninsurable.

St. George News reached out to Officer Tiffany Mitchell with the St. George Police Department who confirmed that a residential burglary was reported at SunRiver on Saturday and that the incident was being forwarded to the Detectives Division for investigation.

Anyone who may have information that can assist in the investigation is asked to call the St. George Police Department at 435-627-4300,  using reference no. 22P012837. No further details are being released at this time.

SunRiver was unable to comment.

This report is based on statements from police, emergency personnel or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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