Cape Coral woman says burglars stole over $10,000 in jewelry

Thursday, a Cape Coral homeowner says a woman acted like she was inspecting a fence. Then, a man stole prized items from her home and fled.

We spoke to the victim of the home burglary Friday. She says a woman knocked on her door and started peppering her with questions.

This all happened along the 2100 block of N 13th Avenue in Cape.

She never had a moment to stop and think, much less think about whether someone else was inside her home, going through her drawers and stealing thousands of dollars in family heirlooms.

“Jumpee,” as her neighbors know her, is taking inventory of her family treasures. The family jewelry stolen from her is from Thailand — rings, bracelets, necklaces passed down through her family.

When a woman knocked at her door and Jumpee opened, and she says the stranger began to ask a lot of questions about replacing a fence.

What it turned out to be was a woman playing distracter so no one would pay attention to the man dashing in and out of the house with over 10,000 dollars of jewelry.

“I was happy that she was OK, neighbor Susan Land said. “But I feel bad they are preying on senior citizens. Like, it’s wrong. It’s completely wrong.”

Neighbors noticed something was off.

“She’s been our neighbor for like 40 years,” Land said. “And we all watch out for each other on this street.”

But a burglary is not something neighbors usually have to worry about, they said.

“I walked out to get my mail, and they looked at me and he did a high-five,” neighbor Jeanette White said. “And I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t know you. That’s weird.’”

The duo took off, and, back inside Jumpee’s home, her jewelry was gone, including a locket holding a picture of Jumpee’s mom and dad.

“My mom and dad’s picture from 1970,” Jumpee said. “My mom’s picture so beautiful … That’s why I can’t sleep. I not sleep at all until now.”

Jumpee told us she not only lost those mementos from people she loves but also about $1,000 in cash. Some of it was to send to family in Thailand and the rest to her daughter for her birthday.

The burglars have not been identified at this time.

Jumpee’s neighbors say, at the very least, their neighbor, who they treasure most, wasn’t hurt. And, for that, they are thankful.

“We’re going to protect each other,” Land said.