Police in Fort Collins, Colo., are on the hunt for a woman accused of stealing wigs made for cancer patients from a party store.
The suspect allegedly took the wigs from The Life of the Party, a costume store in Fort Collins, on July 9.
Owners Marcia and Brandon Lilly told KDVR that the suspect bought a pair of tights before asking to use the bathroom, at which point she snatched the wigs.
“She seemed very nice,” Marcia Lilly told the broadcast station. “She was asking about our kid. She was asking about the store.”
In a Facebook post shared to their store’s official page, Brandon shared details of the alleged crime.
“Ma’am, you came in around 1:30 p.m. this afternoon and were greeted by Marcia (my wife and co-owner) and our 9-month old son. He’s the store manager and all around happy kid. We got pretty lucky,” he wrote.
“However, after helping you locate some wigs it seems a terrible accident occurred. While you did successfully purchase a pair of pink leggings you apparently forgot how to purchase two of the wigs you had been looking at.”
The post continued: “Above all, you don’t steal. Especially from a local business. From a young family trying to figure all this out. Learning how to be parents and business owners, and partners all at once.”
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“Maybe this was your first shopping experience in which case it’s so cool that you chose to visit us first! We love our customers and it’s always exciting to meet new ones.”
Video footage shows the woman stuffing two wigs into her purse before leaving.
“You could very distinctly see her in the camera look and see that I was on the phone and then make the decision to go,” Marcia told KDVR.
It’s unclear whether the suspect knew the wigs had been made specially for cancer patients. The wigs are meant for patients who lose their hair as a result of chemotherapy treatment.
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“One of the companies we carry, they donate. For every wig they sell or we sell, they will donate a wig for free to a cancer patient,” Marcia explained. “It’s not just taking from us. It’s taking from people in need who couldn’t maybe afford a wig otherwise.”
For her husband, Brandon, the incident felt personal.
“I was instantly angered and kind of offended by it,” he told KDVR. He said it made him angry that somebody would do such a thing after getting to know his wife and son, and seeing that it was a family-owned business.
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The business owners hope that someone in the surrounding Fort Collins area will recognize the suspect and report her to the police.
“Another local business here reshared our post,” Brandon said. “They’re like, ‘Keep an eye out, but be aware, she’s probably wearing a wig.'”
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meaghan.wray@globalnews.ca
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