It was supposed to be the best day of their lives.
Josh Horning-Lancaster and Ashley Harmen welcomed their newborn son Jackson on Dec. 29.
Both parents were ecstatic. They were discharged on New Year’s Eve and were excited to start the new year as a big happy family.
“I’ve wanted this for a very long time, ever since I was a kid. I even had the name picked out since I was a kid,” Horning-Lancaster told Global News.
“I’m super excited. Everything was perfect and healthy and I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
The day, however, quickly turned sour.
Horning-Lancaster said he first noticed his Xbox gaming console upside down on the floor and his chest filled with comic books had been looted, a sign that the house had been broken into.
When Harmen went to check the walk-in closet they shared, she discovered her jewelry boxes were opened and the money given to them at baby showers and Christmas parties was gone.
The thieves even went through cards given to them by family and friends at their baby shower. Horning-Lancaster said they were strewn all over the floor, each of them checked for cash or gift cards.
Worst of all, the family had only moved into their home a month prior.
“It’s shocking. Why would you do that?” Horning-Lancaster asked.
“We were just starting out… We had a little nest for (Jackson), from food to clothes to rent, and that was all wiped clean.”
But money isn’t the only concern. Harmen said she no longer feels safe in her home and she doesn’t leave her son alone if she doesn’t have to.
“I feel uncomfortable. I don’t like going into the closet anymore. Every time I look at it, I feel sad,” she said.
“I’ve only been alone once since the incident. I’m always watching the door.”
The incident comes after the Calgary Police Service reported a “record low level” of break-and-enters since the start of the pandemic.
A Calgary Police Service spokesperson told Global News there was a “steep decline” in November 2022. Police saw the fewest residential break-ins over the last six years in December last year, 37 per cent below the average and 23 per cent lower than 2021.
The CPS said the trend is likely to continue despite more vacant homes as many Calgarians return to the workplace.
Horning-Lancaster and Herman said they are still trying to recover financially from the robbery. They have set up a GoFundMe to try and fundraise money for bills, food and other basic necessities.
The fundraiser raised more than $3,000 as of Thursday.
“It was brought to my attention that maybe we should try to set something up… It got a lot of traction really quick,” Horning-Lancaster said.
“It was shocking how quickly our family and friends wanted to help out. It saved us.”