I Spent Weeks Trying to Catch the Thief in My Store, and When I Did, I Discovered a Secret That Had Been Hidden from Me for Years — Story of the Day

For weeks, I stayed up late, watching camera footage and setting traps, determined to catch the person stealing from my small grocery store. But nothing could have prepared me for what I found when I finally caught them—a truth that had been hidden from me for long years.

At my age, most people were thinking about retirement, buying a little house in Florida, or taking long vacations. But not me.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

I was thinking about how to make my store better. When you owned a business, especially a small grocery store like mine, there was no such thing as rest. I had run this store for many years.

Over time, new shops had opened nearby, and competition had grown, but I never gave up.

I worked hard to make my store more than just a place to buy food. I wanted people to feel welcome, like they were visiting an old friend.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

Some of my customers had been coming for twenty or even thirty years. I watched them grow up, fall in love, and start families.

Then their kids started coming in—and that meant the world to me. It meant I had done something right.

But recently, something felt off. I started noticing little things missing from the shelves.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

Not just one or two items, but enough to make me wonder. I stocked everything myself, so I knew what was there. Something was definitely wrong.

Mr. Green came up to the register with a small basket in his hand. He gave me a friendly smile. “How are you doing today, Margaret?” he asked.

“I’m doing fine, thank you. How about you?” I said with a smile.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

“I’m good,” he said. “But I noticed something. There’s not much dairy on the shelves. You usually have the best selection in town.”

I looked at him, surprised. “That can’t be right. I filled the whole section just yesterday. Every last shelf.”

He raised his eyebrows and shrugged. “Maybe you missed something. Or maybe it’s time to slow down. You ever think about handing the store over to someone else? Do you have kids?”

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

His words hit me hard. I froze for a moment, then looked straight at him. I didn’t smile this time. “Goodbye, Mr. Green,” I said firmly. I bagged his items and handed them to him without another word.

As if! I still had plenty of strength. Mr. Green acted like I was ready for a rocking chair and soft food. I was not even sixty yet!

I worked hard every day, lifting boxes, sweeping floors, and dealing with customers. But his words touched a spot deep inside me. A place I tried to keep buried.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

Children.

I had a daughter once. Just one. She ran away from home fifteen years ago. No phone call. No goodbye. Just a note.

She said she was leaving to start a new life. I searched for her everywhere. I called the police, but they said she left on her own, so it was not their job.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

That made me so angry. She was my child. She was still so young. How could they not help?

I shook my head and forced myself back to the present. I walked to the dairy fridge. It was still early, and hardly anyone had come in yet.

But I saw the truth with my own eyes—many items were missing. Yogurt, milk, cheese—whole rows gone.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

It was not just forgetfulness or bad math. Someone was stealing from me.

I always trusted people. That was why I never installed cameras. I believed people were good. I believed they would do the right thing. But now, I had no choice.

The next day, I had cameras installed. It cost me a good bit, but I had to protect my store. The day after that, I sat at the back counter and watched the footage.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

At first, it looked normal. The store was dark and still. But then, a figure appeared. They moved quickly and quietly, taking things off the shelves.

They wore a hood pulled low over their face. I clicked through the video, hoping to see a face, but I never did. Somehow, they stayed hidden.

Still, I knew I had to do something. I put the footage on a flash drive and drove to the police station.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

I walked up to the front desk and told the officer on duty what had happened.

He led me to a small room and plugged in the footage. He watched the screen with a bored look on his face.

“So,” he said, leaning back in his chair, “what do you want from us?”

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

I stared at him. “What do I want? I want you to do your job. Someone is breaking into my store and stealing my products. I want you to find out who it is.”

He pointed at the screen. “You can’t even see their face. They’re wearing a hood the whole time. We don’t have anything to go on.”

I felt my hands tighten. “But that’s your job!”

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

“My advice? Get an alarm system,” the officer said.

I scoffed, grabbed the footage, and walked out of the station. As if! Giving me advice like I was some lost old lady.

But still, I went ahead and had the alarm system installed. I did not want to take any more chances.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For a few days, things seemed better. Nothing went missing. The shelves stayed full. I started to breathe easier.

Then, one morning, I walked in and froze. Again, shelves were empty. Not everything, but enough to notice. Yet the alarm had not gone off. My stomach turned.

As I stood by the fridge, Mr. Green walked by with a little shake of his head. “Your selection keeps getting smaller and smaller,” he said. “Maybe my wife and I should start going to another store.”

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

Those words stung. My heart pounded. I could not lose customers. This store was my life. It paid my bills and kept a roof over my head.

If I could not stop this thief, I could lose everything. If no one would help me, then I would help myself.

That night, I closed the shop like always, turned off the lights, and walked out the front door.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

But I did not go home. I circled around to the back, unlocked the rear door, and slipped inside. I crouched behind the counter and waited.

It was quiet. Too quiet. I almost dozed off, but then I heard it—the door creaked, and the alarm beeped off.

My heart jumped. I peeked up and saw the same figure moving around the aisles.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

Small, quick, quiet. I crept forward. Step by step. Then I lunged and grabbed the hoodie.

“Got you!” I yelled.

The person dropped everything and struggled. I pulled back the hood. He was just a boy. Fourteen, maybe. Thin. Scared. His eyes locked with mine.

He had her eyes.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

“Who are you? Why are you stealing from me?” I asked.

He did not answer. He pulled down the zipper, slipped out of the hoodie, and ran. I tried to follow but could not. I stood there, breathing hard, holding the hoodie in my hands.

Those eyes. I knew them. They belonged to my daughter. How was that possible? Could he be…?

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

After I caught the boy red-handed, the thefts stopped completely, but I could not stop thinking about him.

Every time I looked at the shelves or walked through the store, my mind went back to that night. I kept seeing his face, those eyes that reminded me so much of my daughter.

I felt torn. He was just a child, and part of me wanted to go to the police, but the other part needed to know who he was and why he looked so familiar.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

One evening, as I was driving home from work, I saw a figure in a hoodie coming out of a closed store.

My heart skipped a beat. Was it him? I watched as he walked over to a bicycle, took some groceries out of his hoodie, and put them into a backpack.

He kept his hood up the whole time. I stayed in my car and decided to follow him. I knew if I tried to talk to him, he would run again.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

I kept a safe distance as he rode through the streets. After a while, he stopped near a small but tidy house.

He parked his bicycle behind it and went inside. I sat for a moment, holding the same hoodie he had left behind in my store.

My hands were shaking as I got out of the car and walked to the front door. I knocked softly. No one came. I waited. I was about to leave when I heard footsteps approaching.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

Then the door opened.

And there she was—my daughter. I froze. She looked older, tired maybe, but it was her. My heart almost stopped.

She was no longer the girl who had run away from me. She was a grown woman now, standing in the doorway, staring at me in shock.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

“Alice…” I whispered, my voice barely coming out. My hands were still shaking.

She blinked like she was seeing a ghost. “Mom? What are you doing here?”

I looked into her eyes. They were the same, even after all these years. “So you were nearby all this time, and I couldn’t find you.”

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

She looked down. “Not the whole time. I moved around a lot. That’s not important now. Why are you here? How did you find me?”

I didn’t answer right away. I reached into my bag and held up the boy’s hoodie.

Her eyes widened. “Where did you get Travis’s hoodie?”

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

Before I could speak, the boy—the same one who stole from my store—appeared in the hallway.

“Mom! Close the door!” he shouted, his voice full of fear.

Alice turned to him. “What? What’s going on?”

I stepped forward. “Travis was stealing from my store.”

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

“WHAT?!” she shouted. Her face turned red with shock.

“Please don’t call the police,” Travis said, his voice shaking. “I promise I won’t steal from your store again.”

“I know,” I said softly. “But I saw you today. You were stealing from another store.”

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

Alice turned to him, her voice sharp. “Travis, what is this? Why would you steal?”

He looked down at the floor. “Because you work so much. We never have enough money. I wanted to help.”

“So you thought stealing was the answer?” she shouted.

“I sold the stuff. I gave you the money in secret. I thought I was helping,” he said.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

Alice covered her face with her hands. “That is not how we solve problems. Stealing is wrong, Travis. Always.”

She looked at me. Her voice was quieter now. “I’m sorry, Mom. I’ll handle it. He won’t do it again. Please don’t turn him in to the police.”

She reached for the door, but I held it.

“That’s it?” I asked. “I haven’t seen you in fifteen years, and you have nothing more to say? Who is Travis? Is he your son?”

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

Alice nodded. Tears filled her eyes. “Yes. He’s my son.”

“May I come in?” I asked, almost in a whisper.

She paused. Then she stepped aside and let me in.

She led me to a small kitchen. I sat down and looked around. It was neat but worn.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

“If you were having money problems, why didn’t you come to me? Why didn’t you ask for help?” I asked.

“Because I was ashamed,” she said.

“I searched for you. I waited fifteen years. I didn’t know you even had a child,” I said.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

“I was already pregnant when I left. That was one of the reasons. You told me to stay away from Travis’s father. You were right. He was no good. But I didn’t listen. He left me soon after,” Alice said.

“Then why didn’t you come home?”

“Because I was ashamed. I thought you hated me.”

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

“Oh, Alice,” I said, standing and walking to her. “You’re my daughter. How could I ever hate you?”

I gently wrapped my arms around her, and she held me just as tight. We both cried without saying a word.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

All the pain from the past seemed to melt in that moment. It felt like coming home after being lost for years.

After we calmed down, Alice turned to Travis and scolded him firmly. She made it clear that stealing was never the answer. He nodded, ashamed.

Still, I looked at him with something close to gratitude. I kept thanking him in my heart. If he had not taken from me, I would never have found my family again.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

Tell us what you think about this story and share it with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day.

If you enjoyed this story, read this one: Feeling unappreciated and exhausted, I decided to take a break from my marriage and clear my head. But when my car broke down miles from home, I found myself stranded at a small motel. What started as a simple getaway soon led to an unexpected reunion — one that changed everything. Read the full story here.

Remembering the Stars Who Have Died Since Appearing on ‘Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew’

Since the VH1 reality show’s 2008 debut, twelve of its alumni have passed away.

Celebrity Rehab was founded by Dr. Drew Pinsky to counter the tabloids’ depiction of addiction, according to a 2009 New York Times article on the set of the show. Pinsky, 65, was first opposed to the concept of receiving treatment on television. Following the premiere of the first season of the show, the addiction medicine expert told PEOPLE about his friend, counselor Bob Forrest, who persuaded him to get treatment: “He said, ‘I am so tired of people talking about rehab who have no idea what they’re talking about.’” They are unaware of the struggles and addictions that celebrities face.

The VH1 series, which ran from 2008 to 2011, featured a number of celebrities addressing their substance misuse problems in the Pasadena Recovery Center in California with Pinsky. Celebrity Rehab featured prominent artists, actresses, sports, TV celebrities, models, and more throughout the course of five seasons. Regretfully, following their performances on the reality show, twelve celebrities have passed away. Let’s examine their lives in more detail and how they openly discussed their difficulties in an effort to assist others.

If substance misuse is a problem for you or someone you know, please call the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP. Please call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741, or visit 988lifeline.org if you or someone you know is thinking about taking their own life.

Dim-witted Shellshock

It’s funny how life tricks us, isn’t it? The frontman of Crazy Town, who was well-known for being insane both on stage and, regrettably, off, died in June 2024 at the age of 49. Shifty went in and out of dangerous circumstances during his career, including comas and DUI accusations. It was heartbreakingly obvious how much cocaine and medications affected him. “If I kept at it, I was going to die,” he once said to PEOPLE. My goal is to remain sober.

Tom Sizemore

On March 3, 2023, Tom Sizemore, the guy whose Golden Globe-nominated performances could have you riveted to the screen, passed away. His struggle with drug usage was more tragic than amusing. Paul, his brother, said, “He was bigger than life.” More than anyone I know, he has impacted my life. I am heartbroken by his passing and will always mourn him.

Frankie Lons

Every child’s worst dread is to watch their own mother battle addiction before giving in to it. Frankie Lons, the mother of Keyshia Cole, had a turbulent life. What a horrible irony it was that she died on her own birthday. The emotional Instagram post from Elite Noel, her daughter, stated it all: “My mother in a body bag on her birthday is the worst anguish I have ever experienced! My heart ached so much.

Kitaen Tawny

At the age of 59, actress and ’80s star Tawny Kitaen passed away quietly at her Newport Beach home. Her children Wynter and Raine verified their grief with a statement, “You gave her life every day,” following her diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy. We love and miss her, and we are aware that her legacy will endure forever.

McKibbin, Nikki

Do you recall Nikki McKibbin from the inaugural season of American Idol? She was generous enough to give her organs before she went away at the age of 42 from a brain aneurysm. Craig, her spouse, put it poetically: “Even in the end, she is still giving.” An appropriate homage to a giving person.

Jason Davis

At the age of 35, the voice actor that embodied a character in Disney’s Recess passed away from fentanyl overdose. His mother remembered him as a season 4 participant who “had a true heart of gold with such a zest for life.”

Contents

  1. Chyna
  2. Mindy McCready
  3. Joey Kovar
  4. Rodney King
  5. Jeff Conaway
  6. Mike Starr

Chyna

On April 17, 2016, Chyna, a formidable WWE performer, passed away. The mixture of drugs in her system was the accidental offender. Her life served as an example of publicly facing one’s inner problems while clinging to hope.

Mindy McCready

On February 17, 2013, Mindy McCready, a country music vocalist with a beautiful voice, suddenly passed away. She dealt with alcohol and opioid addictions on the show, and her end was clouded in sadness following the suicide of her boyfriend. A terrible domino effect.

Joey Kovar

Joey Kovar, a reality star from The Real World: Hollywood, passed away suddenly at the age of 29. A life that appeared to be headed toward happiness was ended by opioid abuse. With regret, his brother remarked, “He had turned into such a happy person.” I’m still not really clear what transpired.

Rodney King

On June 17, 2012, the civil rights activist passed away at the age of 47. King’s stress from the vicious assault he suffered in 1991 at the hands of LAPD cops drove him to battle substance usage. Alcohol, marijuana, PCP, and cocaine all had a nasty part in his death; he was discovered drowning in his swimming pool.

Jeff Conaway

The well-known face of Grease actor Jeff Conaway concealed personal troubles. On May 27, 2011, the man who lighted up Broadway and little theaters alike passed away. He battled his addictions all the way to the end, but his job and the people in his life gave him comfort.

Mike Starr

To wrap up this solemn homage, on March 8, 2011, Alice in Chains’ Mike Starr overdosed on prescription drugs. Friends, family, and fans came together for an open memorial service in Seattle to honor a life that inspires people via music.

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