“A piece of your heart taken from you” – A woman’s childhood memories stolen

Mackrina Herrera Irene is left with a single photo from kindergarten after nearly all her belongings vanished from iStorage in Desert Hot Springs this month.

“It’s just a piece of your heart, you know, all your keepsakes,” Irene said. “All your memories, all your home videos back when they had VHS.”

On December 3rd the storage facility notified her the unit with her belongings was found wide open. She believes the lock to her storage facility was cut, despite having the recommended disc lock.

According to the DHSPD police report, storage management said the surveillance system was “inoperative.” However, when News Channel 3 reporter Sarah Trott went to the facility she saw functioning camera monitors in the lobby.

Irene said management told her there are no cameras in the area where her unit is located but there are ones outside.

“They said they only store footage for two weeks and she was going to look back into it but never really got back to me,” Irene said.

The owner of the facility told News Channel 3 it would have been too much video to sort through and their policy is to not provide customers with footage but they do help police when they can.

Desert Hot Springs police closed the case due to a lack of evidence, investigative leads or witnesses. The facility did not provide police with video.

Irene hopes the community can help her find her cherished momentos.

“If they have my personal stuff, just drop it off at any Angel View or Goodwill or message me on facebook, somewhere…without any questions asked, I just want my personal stuff back,” Irene said.

Storage Security Tips:

Keep a list of all valuables Explore storage insurance options Choose a facility with video surveillance and a gate Be cautious of others trying to help you move in Don’t publicize storage items or locations on social media