Captured: Suspected car prowler targets 85-year-old widow visiting husband’s grave

UPDATE: Police say there has been an arrest in this case, but the suspect hasn't been named or formally charged yet. 

EVERETT, Wash. – Car prowls happen every day in communities across Puget Sound.

But this case will likely make your blood boil.

An 85-year-old widow was the target for crooks who stole her wallet and a priceless family heirloom – all while she was paying her respects at her husband’s grave site.

Cops need your help identifying the woman seen in surveillance video using the elderly woman’s stolen credit cards at a nearby store.  

Patricia Fader takes pride taking care of the last resting place for late husband.

“Now this is the little rake that in the summertime I rake the leaves with,” she said.

Each week, she visits loved ones who have passed on. They now rest at Cypress Lawn cemetery in Everett, including her husband Harold, who died nearly a decade ago.

“This is my husband, he was a Sgt. in the Air Force,” she said.

During a visit in September someone rifled through her van parked only a few feet away.

“While my back was turned this is when everything happened,” she said. “I saw nobody, no one around here, I didn’t hear anything and that’s why when I got into my van I did not notice at first my purse was gone.”

“All theft is bad but especially because she’s at the cemetery visiting her deceased husband,” said Everett Police Detective Antonio Tararan. “It’s just such a vulnerable place at the time.”

Everett Police believe the woman caught on camera used Fader’s credit cards at nearby stores shortly after the theft. She told police the crooks also got away with a priceless engagement ring.    

“Everything was gone, just everything was gone,” she said. “I was angry, I’m still angry.

Still angry because she continues to visit her husband every Sunday, and until the crooks are caught and her ring is returned, a place that’s supposed to foster peaceful reflection has been ruined by crooks looking for an easy score.

“I’m not sure if the ring has been pawned or whether she’s wearing or just what, but I really want my ring back,” she said.

Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 in reward money for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in this case. The number is 1-800-222-TIPS and callers can remain anonymous.  You can also submit a tip using the P3 Tips App or at www.P3Tips.com.