Home of Elderly Couple Burglarized

By Tom Murray

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SHEBOYGAN - A burglar tore through Lori Gilbertson's Town of Wilson home while she was at the hospital with her ailing husband, Wayne. "He stole my pillow cover from my bed to put my jewelry in," Gilbertson, 65, told TODAY'S TMJ4 reporter Tom Murray. She left the back door unlocked for a cleaning lady Wednesday morning. From the door, that cleaning lady saw the suspect inside. He bolted through the house and out the front door. The suspect got away in an SUV that had been parked in the driveway. The thief stole precious memories from the Gilbertsons. He took necklaces and bracelets, most of them gifts to Lori from Wayne for Christmases, anniversaries, birthdays and Mothers Days. The burglar also stole a dining set passed down through the family and a valuable watch Wayne received when he retired. The value of the stolen items is between $10,000 and $20,000. "All of the items taken were things that, over the 44 years we've been married, he bought for me," said Gilbertson. The Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department said the man may be tied to other area burglaries. Someone stole an additional $20,000 worth of jewelry from a Town of Sheboygan home on N. Sixth Street. "A number of them did involve thefts of jewelry and solely jewelry," said Lt. Jim Risseeuw. "So, somebody may be specializing." Lori wants the crook caught, but she's more focused on nursing Wayne back to health. "The jewelry is just stuff," said Lori. "I'm not a very materialistic person and neither is Wayne." The suspect is described as 5'9", skinny white man. If you have information that could lead authorities to this thief, call Sheboygan County Crimestoppers at 1-877-CUF-THEM.