The Santa Barbara County, Calif., Sheriff’s Office said it arrested two suspects this month after they were tracked down using an Apple AirTag that the victim mailed to herself in hopes of catching the thieves who kept stealing her mail.

Deputies said they responded to a call on the morning of Aug. 19 for a report of a mail theft that had just taken place at the Los Alamos, Calif., Post Office, according to the release.

When they arrived, deputies discovered that the woman — who was not identified by authorities — had recently had mail stolen from her post office box, the sheriff’s office said.

So, to take matters into her own hands, she mailed herself a package with an AirTag inside it.

Once her mail was stolen again that morning, with the AirTag included in the package, she quickly contacted the police, the department said.

Authorities were able to track the AirTag and the suspects in Santa Maria, Calif. Officials said they found the woman’s mail — including the package containing the AirTag — in addition to other items that police believe were stolen from more than a dozen victims.

Deputies located and arrested Virginia Franchessca Lara, 27, and Donald Ashton Terry, 37, in connection with the crime, the department said. Lara was booked on several felonies — including possession of checks with intent to commit fraud, fictitious checks, identity theft, credit card theft, and conspiracy, the department said.

Jail records show she was held on a $50,000 bond.

Terry was booked and faces charges related to burglary, possession of checks with intent to commit fraud, credit card theft, identity theft, and conspiracy. The department said he was also booked on several theft-related warrants from Riverside County, Calif.

Terry was being held on a $460,000 bond, according to jail records.

Attorneys representing the two suspects did not respond to NPR’s immediate request for comment regarding their arrests.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office thanked the victim for taking a “proactive approach” to locating her stolen mail and for not attempting to confront the suspects herself. The case, according to authorities, remains under investigation as they continue to identify other victims.

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On Tuesday, February 16, 2021, at 5:33 P.M., deputies assigned to the Norco Sheriff’s Station were dispatched to a residence in the 2000 Block of Norco Drive regarding a theft of a package. The victim reported an adult male Hispanic stole a package from his front porch and fled the area driving a white two door sedan. Deputies from the Norco Station Special Enforcement Team (SET) assisted with the investigation and positively identified the suspect as 30-year old Luis Samaniego, a resident from the city of Riverside.

At 7:30 P.M., SET deputies responded to the city of Riverside and located Samaniego and the vehicle he was driving. During their investigation, deputies located evidence linking Samaniego to the package theft and were able to recover the victim’s stolen property. Samaniego was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center for theft.

Anyone with questions about this operation can contact Deputy J. Kehrier of the Norco Station at (951) 951-2600.

For media inquiries regarding this incident please contact the Media Information Bureau.

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