MADERA COUNTY – With help from a few very alert citizens in Yosemite Lakes Park (YLP), Helen Schreider — 93-year-old artist, author and explorer — has recovered the items that went missing when a Penske rental truck was stolen from a Fresno hotel.
The truck had already been recovered, but now, all the items that were stolen before the truck was abandoned have been located.
Helen had hired a moving crew and filled two trucks with her most precious possessions, to move her from Santa Fe, N.M., to the San Francisco Bay area. While parked in Fresno overnight on Friday, July 20, one of the trucks was stolen.
On Saturday, July 21, several residents of YLP notified CHP that the stolen truck was sitting in a dirt lot north of Hillside Market in YLP. However, when CHP arrived, most of the contents of the truck were gone. Officers notified the Fresno Police Department, who responded to conduct their investigation.
Then on Sunday, July 22, another alert citizen reported the missing loot sitting in someone’s driveway in YLP.
Following the anonymous tip, Madera County Sheriff’s Corporal Ian Weaver and Deputy Michael Fullheart responded to a residence in YLP.
In plain view in the driveway of that property were approximately 40 paintings, along with boxes of personal items, photographs, and furniture, says the Sheriff’s Office. The name on papers and other property matched the name of the victim of the Penske truck theft, Helen Schreider.
Helen Schreider upon learning stolen truck has been found – photo Geoffrey Smith
Helen’s family had learned about the recovery of the truck on Sierra News Online on Saturday, and were happy to have word that the truck had been found. However, the missing items were not located until the next day.
Photos of the items in the driveway were sent to a family friend of the victim by request. The photos were passed on to Schreider, who is “extremely grateful.”
Madera County Sheriff’s detectives collected and stored all of the recovered property and are working in cooperation with Fresno Police detectives. The investigation remains ongoing at this time. Anyone with information related to this case is asked to call Fresno Police Department.
The Madera County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the diligent, watchful citizens who aided in the recovery of Ms. Schreider’s property.
“With the help of fine people like you, we are able to better serve the wonderful community of Madera County. Thank you for your support.”
No information as to the identity of the suspects has yet been released.
Helen Schreider, is an artist, author and explorer, traveled the length of the world in the mid-20th century, as she and her husband Frank worked as reporters for National Geographic. They lived for periods of time in about 50 countries on five continents, and the items in these two trucks are the accumulation of a life of work and adventure.
Truck Filled With Stolen Artwork Spotted By Sharp Eyes In YLP
