Five people are wanted for questioning about a heartless burglary that took place earlier this month at the home of an elderly couple in Woodside, Queens.
Police say that on May 1st, at 3 p.m., a man and a woman knocked on the door of Lillian Dehler, 88, and her 90-year-old husband, who has Alzheimer's. The male suspect claimed they were from Long Island Jewish Hospital to check on the Dehlers' special needs daughter, Margie, who had been previously treated there. The pair asked questions while inside the home, and Lillian Dehler claims she told them, "Whatever you need to know, they have in the computer. I don't have to tell you."
According to the NYPD, a third suspect then came into the home to use the bathroom: "While up there, [she] removed all the couple's jewelry and their credit cards." Then the three suspects left.
Later, the two females were seen using a stolen credit card at the Payless Shoes at the Rego Park Mall, and then the same two females plus a male and two other females were seen at the Outback Steak House trying to use the stolen credit card.
Dehler told NBC New York her daughter recognized the male suspect while he was in her house:
"Without a doubt, as soon as he walked in, she says, 'John!'" said Dehler. "I said, 'Where you know him from?' She says, 'From the hospital.'"
But while the family was distracted, the thieves stole Lillian's wallet, and one of the suspects slipped upstairs and raided her jewelry box, which contained her engagement ring and her 50th anniversary diamond band.
"I screamed down, I said, 'We've all been robbed,'" Dehler said, recalling how she realized they'd been tricked.
Police released images and video of the suspects.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
