Overview
- Esther Guerrero, 75, says a woman in a white car approached her outside her East Los Angeles home on Dec. 15, asked for directions, and swapped out her necklace in seconds.
- Home surveillance video captured the encounter, showing the woman placing her hands on Guerrero’s shoulders and hugging her before leaving.
- The stolen gold cross contains the ashes of Guerrero’s daughter, a retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy who died in a crash in Idaho earlier this year.
- The Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau is investigating, has asked for tips at (323) 264-4151, and reported no arrests as of Monday.
- Police say the method mirrors a wider Southern California scheme involving sleight-of-hand swaps by suspects who approach from vehicles, and they urge victims to avoid handling fake jewelry to preserve potential DNA evidence.