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Wyandotte police use social media to return stolen blanket to rightful owner

Police return stolen goods after porch pirate busted

WYANDOTTE, Mich. – When Tonyia Gill had a custom-made keepsake blanket made for her best friend, she never thought the blanket would make headlines.

On Dec. 21, just before 2 a.m., a nearby resident woke up to an alarm on his doorbell camera when a woman was going through his mailbox.

The police were called and they apprehended the porch pirate red-handed.

Wyandotte police think she’s taken several dozen packages, pieces of mail and credit cards.

One of those stolen items was Gill’s blanket, but without the packaging, police weren’t sure who it belonged to. They posted a photo of the blanket on social media and asked if anyone knew the woman in the photos on the blanket.

Gill started getting phone calls that day from people asking if the blanket was hers within 24 hours, the stolen blanket was returned.

The suspected thief is facing seven counts of mail theft and potentially seven years imprisonment.


About the Authors
Nick Monacelli headshot

Nick joined the Local 4 team in February of 2015. Prior to that he spent 6 years in Sacramento covering a long list of big stories including wildfires and earthquakes. Raised in Sterling Heights, he is no stranger to the deep history and pride Detroit has to offer.

Dane Kelly headshot

Dane is a producer and media enthusiast. He previously worked freelance video production and writing jobs in Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts. Dane graduated from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.

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