HUACHUCA CITY, Ariz. (KGUN) — An 85-year-old woman in Huachuca City was stunned to find her utility task vehicle (UTV) missing from her front yard, over the weekend.
“I checked twice to make sure I wasn't seeing things, because I didn't believe that somebody would take it right out of the yard,” Huachuca City resident Cynthia Clayton said.
The UTV was parked in front of where she is living for months. She says she remembers hearing someone outside her home one night.
“My bedroom was right there. So, I mean, I believe that is what I heard, but I can't prove it,” Clayton said.
She had listed the UTV for sale before moving to Huachuca City in September. The red UTV had a "For Sale" sign on it, but Clayton says she didn't have anyone interested in purchasing it.
She wanted to sell it to help pay some of her bills, since Social Security is her only source of income.
"I didn't think people were that low that they would just take stuff out of your front yard," Clayton said.
She and her husband agreed to sell it, before he died in August, as a source of extra income.
"I was okay selling because we had talked about that before my husband passed away," Clayton said. "We decided to (use the money) to pay off the credit card, because he knew I was going to lose his income.”
A loss of income that's that’s already affected her.
"I couldn't afford the apartment, so I had to let it go, and so I moved over here with a friend,” Clayton said.
She says the red UTV has a white roof, but that's the only distinguishable feature it has. Clayton reported the theft to the sheriff’s office and shared her story on social media, all in an effort to get it back.
“I'd ask him how they could be so low as take something that didn't belong to him, because I just can't believe that people (would) stoop that low,” Clayton said.
She says she doesn't have much hope for it to be returned, and even if it is, it might not be in good enough shape to sell. She says the community support from her friends and online has reminded her there are still good people in society.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
