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OREM — After a relative allegedly burglarized an Orem home, stealing $25,000 worth of jewelry, all but one ring has been returned to the victim.
On Dec. 30, homeowners in southeast Orem were contacted by their daughter about a burglary in their home. The homeowners were on vacation and the daughter was checking in on the home while they were away when she found the home had been ransacked, Orem police said.
Many pieces of jewelry — including rings, necklaces, bracelets and loose diamonds — valued at approximately $25,000 had been taken, according to police. The jewelry belonged to a sister of the homeowner.
“A lot of it had a lot of sentimental value to the victim. She was pretty heartbroken when she found out this stuff had been stolen,” Orem police Lt. Craig Martinez said.
When police investigated the scene, they found no evidence of a forced entry, concluding someone had used a key to enter. The homeowners pointed police to the jewelry owner’s daughter, 27-year-old Kayli Nielsen, who knew where the house key was located, Martinez said.
Police located Nielsen at Amenity Inn in Provo, obtained a search warrant and searched the premises. They found drug paraphernalia and methamphetamine, as well as a stolen vehicle containing property that was eventually traced back to several automobile burglaries in Orem and Provo. No jewelry was found at that time.
Police arrested Nielsen along with Cory Jacobs, 22, who was also at the motel.
Pawn records indicated Nielsen had pawned several of the missing jewelry pieces for a total value of a few hundred dollars, Martinez said. The rest of the jewelry was located with acquaintances, who had bought the jewelry from Nielsen, who told them it was an inheritance, he said.
Those acquaintances returned a grocery bag full of jewelry to Orem police. One ring is still missing, but all other items are accounted for, according to police. The jewelry was given back to Nielsen’s mother, who took it home to Nevada with her.
Nielsen and Jacobs remain in custody.
Contributing: Whitney Evans
