Elderly woman duped by a young man posing as a good Samaritan

ELKHART, Ind.-- A no solicitors sign covers the front door of 82-year-old Shirley Wagner's home along Grady Boulevard in Elkhart.

Its enough to stop salespeople from knocking on her door, but not thieves.

“This young man came to my door. He told me he found a bunch of money out at the end of my driveway and he wanted to know if it belonged to me," said Shirley.

She said no. She then invited the man in to ask her son if the money belonged to him.

“He came in to my house, grabbed my purse and left," said Shirley. 

In it, every from of I.D., including her birth certificate and social security.

Most important to Wagner are the only photos of her 3 deceased children and grandchildren.

“Two of my sons are gone. This happened a long time ago but the tears are always right there," said Wagner.

Wagner has a message for the man who took the irreplaceable memories, taking to Facebook to share this handwritten letter in hopes that he’d see it writing in part,"You not only stole my identity but my life for 20 dollars. If you want the money, get a job and earn it like I did you will find it much more satisfactory than stealing it from old ladies.”

Concerned neighbors agree.

“For him to take advantage of her is really sad. If those are the only photos, that’s really sad," said Neighbor, Amy Rings.

“During the holiday season you want to have trust people and have faith in society. Then you have somebody playing on other person beliefs and faiths and decoying them into being able to perpetrate this act," said Eugene Valdez.

“He could bring it back, leave it on my doorstep and tap on my door like he did before. He could leave then, but I just want my pictures back," said Wagner.

According to Elkhart Police, the suspect is described as a 16 to 18 year old male, approximately 5’4’’, 125 lbs wearing a grey hoodie and dark blue jeans. 

If any of this information rings any bells, you're urged to contact the Elkhart Police Department.