Frustrated by persistent mail theft, a woman opted to utilize an Apple AirTag to track down and apprehend the culprits.
Law enforcement officers in Los Alamos nabbed two individuals on Monday, thanks to an Apple AirTag tracker that the woman involved had mailed to herself, as per a statement issued by the sheriff's department.
Upon receiving a call about a recent mail heist at the local post office, officers arrived at the scene and discovered that the woman had become a victim of mail theft once more. In an attempt to thwart future incidents, she chose to mail a package to herself, containing the AirTag tracking device within.
Alas, the woman's mail continued to be swiped on Monday, but this time she had the upper hand thanks to the AirTag. Authorities shared this information in their statement.
As explained by Apple, the AirTag uses Bluetooth signals to broadcast its location to other devices in the Find My network. Once connected to a user's iCloud, the location of the AirTag becomes visible on the Find My map.
It's crucial to mention that the woman did not attempt to engage with the suspects directly, as stated in the sheriff's department statement.
According to the statement, the two suspects were traced to Santa Maria, California, where they were found in possession of the victim's mail, including the AirTag-laden package, and other stolen items believed to have originated from more than a dozen other victims.
Virginia Franchessca Lara, age 27, and Donald Ashton Terry, 37, were both apprehended in relation to these crimes, the statement confirmed.
Lara was charged with several felonies, including attempted fraud with checks, forged checks, identity theft, credit card theft, and conspiracy, and currently remains in custody with bail set at $50,000, as per jail records.
Terry also faces charges of burglary, attempted fraud with checks, credit card theft, identity theft, and conspiracy, and is currently being held on a $460,000 bail, according to the jail records.
CNN has reached out to the legal representatives of both individuals for comment.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office further commended the woman's resourcefulness in employing the AirTag to apprehend the thieves.
The authorities also mentioned their plans to touch base with other victims of theft in this case.
The woman reached out to law enforcement, explaining her situation and their involvement in the case due to the AirTag. Despite trying to remain discreet, the AirTag led the authorities directly to us, the suspects, in Santa Maria.
