Elderly Couple at Home While Burglar Steals $20,000 in Jewelry and Cash
Doug Magditch
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July 8, 2012
MANSFIELD— Peggy and Tom McElvoy were sitting in their living room,
watching an episode of JAG, using headphones to help them hear better.
They were totally unaware that a real-life crime drama was playing out
in their bedroom.
“I worked hard all my life. 60 years I’ve been buying presents for my
wife. They took them all,” said McElvoy.
Rings, bracelets, necklaces. Decades of commitment and love.
After 59 years of marriage, Tom McElvoy had given his wife, Peggy,
quite the collection.
“Finally, last year I said, ‘I’m tired. I’m not going to buy any more
for you. You don’t need any more.’ Now, all of a sudden, she has
nothing,” said McElvoy.
Monday night, the couple was watching TV, using their headphones. They
didn’t hear or see a thing.
“We get better reception with these. We’re also a little bit hard of
hearing. So, I can turn on my volume and she can turn on her volume,”
said McElvoy.
They turned off the TV and headed to bed, but the door was locked from
the inside.
“I said, ‘Peggy, why’d you lock the door?’ She said, ‘I didn’t lock the
door.’ I said, ‘well, it’s locked,'” said McElvoy.
They had to pick the lock to get into their own bedroom.
“We said, ‘Oh hell, we’ve been robbed.”
The burglar, or burglars, came up on to their patio and could see Tom
sitting merely feet away. Still, the burglar broke through the next
door over, which leads into their bedroom. Altogether, that door is
about 20 feet away from where the McElvoys were sitting.
Nearly all of Peggy’s jewelry, including her wedding ring, is gone.
Also, a few valuables from Tom’s closet.
“I had my money clip, two watches, a ring, and a bracelet, and a stack
of money in here,” he said.
$20,000 worth of cash and memories walked away.
“I hope they have a pang of conscience sometime in their life, because
I worked for what they got. They didn’t do a damn thing,” said McElvoy.
The Mcelvoy’s daughter has been canvasing local pawn shops, in the hope
of hunting down some of the jewelry.
To add insult to injury, their homeowners insurance only covered
$7,000. That’s about one-third of what was stolen.
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