LOUISVILLE, Ky. — One Louisville family said their U-Haul truck was stolen in the parking lot of a motel they were staying at off of Bardstown Road on June 28.
The family, William Johnson, fiancée Amber Hardin and their two daughters, lost everything.
"It's really hard. My kids took it extremely hard," said Hardin.
They were staying at the Budgetel Inn & Suites, and had their U-Haul parked out front.
Johnson said the family's lease was up and they were supposed to get another apartment, but the apartment complex gave it to someone else. This led them to the motel.
He said they planned for the truck to only stay parked there a day or two, until he could move all their belongings into storage.
Ultimately, he said it only stayed parked for around three hours.
"We came to find out somebody had stole it," Johnson said.
They filed a police report with the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) who is currently investigating the incident.
Johnson said the security cameras on the property weren't able to capture anything from the hours it was stolen.
"I think they just got lucky. They got all of our stuff, our pictures. My kids from the time they were born until they were 13 were in that truck," Hardin said. "We can't get them back. They're gone. I have no way of replacing them."
Among those irreplaceable items were not just family photos, but the ashes of Johnson's mother.
"That's the hardest part," Hardin said. "You can't get that back. How can you even put a price on something like that?"
"Everyday it beats me down. It hurts," Johnson said. "It takes a toll everyday."
The two parents said it doesn't just take a toll on them but their daughters too.
"Especially with school starting, it made it really hard on them," Hardin said. "My youngest cries, it's a nightly thing. I don't know how long it will take to get over something like that."
The family hopes to move into a permanent home soon, but for now they are focused on saving money to replace what they can and mourn the loss of the items they can't.
If you have any information that can help LMPD, call the Anonymous Tip Line at (502) 574-LMPD or use the Crime Tip Portal.
In addition, the family has a GoFundMe account for anyone who is interested in donating.
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