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WEST VALLEY CITY -- A family on a cross-country move made a stop in Utah, but wish they hadn't. Someone stole their moving truck and most of their belongings as it sat in the parking lot of a West Valley motel early Friday morning.
That moving van was found, but not before thieves had gone through every box inside. The Meyers family estimates 75 percent of their belongings were taken.
Chris and Kim Meyers say they've experienced a range of emotions in the past 17 hours. They were staying at the La Quinta Inn near the E-Center Thursday night, and woke up to find their moving truck gone. I can't believe it could happen here and to us," Kim said.
Once police were able to recover it Friday evening, Chris was only able to do a quick inventory of the inside of the truck. "Everything you would have in a house was in that van," he said.
Some of his children's toys, books, the family's clothes and kitchen supplies are there. But Chris estimates three-quarters of their belongings are gone. "All the furniture, couches, armoires, dressers," he said.
Police found the truck just after 5 p.m. near a Ream's grocery store following a tip from an employee. The employee noticed the truck had been there all day, saw a news report and put it together.
The 24-foot Budget rental truck was towing a trailer with a family car, a green 1996 Toyota Corolla. That car found earlier in the day in a Magna neighborhood; everything in it was gone.
"Obviously, they're looking for what's inside, and that's what makes it more cold, if you will," said West Valley police Lt. Bill Merritt.
That's what hits Chris Meyers the hardest: not the missing items, but the now-missing sense of security. "It's not about losing the stuff. It's being violated," he said.
Kim Meyers and her kids took a flight this evening to Minnesota. Chris will finish the drive with a cousin. He says he's humbled by the number of people who've offered to help.
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Story compiled with contributions from Sarah Dallof, Amanda Butterfield and Marc Giauque.
