Lynnwood police need help identifying a thrift store thief who stole a teenager’s savings

LYNNWOOD, Wash. – Lynnwood police are asking for the community’s help in identifying a woman who stole a fanny pack containing a teenager’s savings. More than $1,000 was in the bag. It happened at Bella’s Voice thrift store, which sells furniture.

Security video from Bella’s Voice shows the woman entering the store as customers and employees were loading a couch. The unknown woman discovered the black belt bag on a dresser. She looked inside, saw the money, checked to see if anyone noticed her, and walked away with the bag full of cash.

Yvette Hoffman, co-founder of Bella’s Voice, described the incident as “heartbreaking” and “horrific.”

“Her son had been saving that money for over a year to buy his family new furniture, and they used that money to buy the couch,” Hoffman said. “I asked them if they had enough space for the sofa, it was a big sofa. The father told me that they have a lot of space and that their son is sleeping on the sofa at the moment, it’s a small sofa. He will be so much more comfortable now.

Hoffman didn’t mince her words when asked what she would say to the woman in the video.

“Shame on you. It’s a pity you took someone’s money,” she said.

The family is considering starting a GoFundMe. In this case, the thrift store plans to donate to it.

Earlier this year, Bella’s Voice was broken into three times in ten days. In these incidents, thieves stole electronic devices and other donations.