Update: The stolen specialized van that was the “lifeline” for a B.C. family has been recovered.
The wheelchair-friendly van, which has been customized for a 21-year-old woman, was recently stolen from the family’s Port Coquitlam driveway.
However, the van has been found. It’s been with the family for a decade.
“The RCMP called us at 8:55 p.m. (Friday) night and told us it looked like it was in pretty good condition,” said Christinea Walker, the family’s mother.
“They asked us to come down to the Legion in Port Coquitlam where it was nicely parked and the keys were still inside the vehicle.”
Walker said the vehicle was spotted by a community member who watched Global News and recognized a sticker on the van, then called the police.
“I really appreciate it … thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” Walker said of the person who located the van.
Existing story: A Port Coquitlam, B.C., mother is reeling after the brazen theft of a customized keyless, wheelchair-friendly van that her 21-year-old daughter relies on as a “lifeline” for seeing friends and getting to school, appointments and more.
Running late for her own appointment, Christinea Walker quickly took her dog out for a pee on Thursday morning and turned on the van to warm it up. Security footage from the house shows her dashing the dog back inside.
Once she was inside, the video shows someone hopping inside the van. When Walker returned less than a minute later, she found the van door locked. She said it took her a moment to realize someone was in there.
“I started banging on the window telling them to get out of the car, and that’s when they took off and drove down the street up towards Lougheed Highway,” she told Global News.
“When they drove away, I was actually still holding onto the handle of the van and I had to actually think to myself, ‘Stop, let go before you get dragged down the road.'”
Walker described the theft as a “huge hit” for everyone.
Her daughter Kayla has Rett syndrome, a rare disorder that affects brain development and causes a progressive loss of motor skills and language. Kayla has no use of her hands, is nonverbal and uses her wheelchair almost full-time.
Walker said she keeps asking to see the van.
“This is very limiting for her. Kayla has a dysregulation problem in terms of her behaviour, so she gets very tired quickly,” Walker explained.
“She escalates quite quickly if we use things like public transit or taxis, so without the vehicle, we are literally homebound.”
Because Kayla is an adult, Walker said the family has aged out of many charities that would otherwise support them.
The family accessed a grant to help purchase and adapt the 2014 Toyota Sienna in 2015, and can’t afford to replace it, she added. They paid more than $60,000 at the time, but Walker now estimates the cost to be upwards of $90,000.
Coquitlam RCMP confirm they are investigating the theft, but as of 11 a.m. on Friday, it had not been found.
The silver van has distinctive stickers on the back near its licence plate. Walker is pleading with whoever stole it to return it to the family.
“We just need as many people looking for the van (as possible),” she told Global News.
“The first step is definitely finding the van…. It had less than a quarter tank of gas in it, so we’re hoping maybe it’s just dumped somewhere.”
Walker also urged the public, “don’t leave your vehicle running unattended. Lock your doors.”
— with files from Jen Palma