UPDATE 12/28/2016: Destiny Rios says her father's truck has been recovered by police.
ORIGINAL STORY 12/27/2016:
A family from Colorado who traveled to Kansas City for the Chiefs-Broncos game on Christmas night had their truck stolen with all their gifts inside overnight on Monday.
Bob Archuleta told 41 Action News that he and nine other family members drove to Missouri for their first visit to the state last Friday.
They stayed at the Drury Inn & Suites on East 42nd Street in Independence through Christmas weekend and were able to meet some of the Broncos players staying close by.
However, after watching the game at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday night, Archuleta said he loaded up the family vehicle to travel back to Colorado the following day.
Sometime overnight, he said a thief stole the truck and all the Christmas gifts inside.
"I just happened to look up and my truck wasn't there," said Archuleta, through tears. "I loaded everything. Everything we had was in that truck."
Bob Archuleta and his family at Arrowhead Stadium on Dec. 25.
Archuleta said his family brought their Christmas tree and gifts with them, as well as winter clothes for the game, to make their hotel room feel more like home for the holiday.
After the crime, Archuleta said he regretted putting all the gifts inside the vehicle the night before driving home.
"I think I should have taken a little more precaution as to how and where I park my vehicle," he explained.
Archuleta's daughter, Destiny Rios, said the crime put a big damper on what was a fun family weekend.
"We had never been to the state or to an opposing team's stadium," said the Denver Broncos fan. "You don't expect something like that to happen to you. When it does, you're in a state of shock."
The holiday weekend vehicle theft highlights a big problem unfolding in Independence over the last month.
According to the LexisNexis Community Crime Map, dozens of vehicle thefts have been reported around Independence since late November.
A map showing stolen vehicles in Independence from LexisNexis Community Crime Map.
The hotel where the Archuleta family stayed reported another car theft on November 27 from the same parking lot.
Independence police said vehicle thefts are especially a threat this time of year since many people will leave their vehicles running to help warm them up in the cold.
After a memorable family weekend, Archuleta said he hoped police could find whoever is responsible soon.
"They might have stolen some personal things but they can never steal what we experienced there," he said.
Calls to the Independence Police Department were not returned.
No description of a suspect has been released, but Archuleta described his missing Ford F-350 as being beige in color, with a black Iron Cross bumper in the front and a small dent on the back bed door.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call (816) 474-TIPS.
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Tom Dempsey can be reached at Tom.Dempsey@KSHB.com.
