MILWAUKEE — An artist is pleading for the public's help to find a dozen teddy bears and two baby blankets after her car was stolen on Milwaukee's east side
"My goal right now is to find those bears and those quilts because they're not replaceable. It's somebody's memories," Jacqueline Hughes told TMJ4 News.
Hughes is a fiber artist based in Ottawa, Illinois.
These missing items belong to her clients. The dozen bears, tucked away in a blue bag, were made using a late father's clothing to help keep his memory alive. The blankets were stitched by a grandmother as a gift to her grandchildren.
Hughes was visiting a cousin who planned to help her deliver the bears. She says the car was locked before it was taken. Video from Thomas Avenue near Farwell shows Hughes' Kia Soul being stolen. Hughes noticed it was missing just a few hours later around 5 a.m. on July 13 and found broken glass left behind.
Watch: Artist looking for sentimental teddy bears and baby blankets
"I was just in shock and like I said I looked twice because I'm like, I know I parked it there," Hughes recalled. "Then I immediately started crying because I realized that that stuff was still in there."
Hughes' car was found on July 22 on 11th Street about a block south of Lincoln Avenue, but the teddy bears and quilts were gone.
"My hope is that they show up somewhere, and somebody is kind enough to get a hold of somebody so that I can return these to their rightful owner," Hughes stated.
Finding those teddy bears and blankets is a priority for Hughes more than her car. She and her cousin have turned to social media to try and locate the items.
At the same, this situation dealt a big blow to Hughes' livelihood.
"COVID hurt small businesses terribly. Honestly, I have been working seven days a week to get all caught up so that you know I could be in a better place, and this just kicked me down. It was tough, very tough not just emotionally, but financially," Hughes said.
Milwaukee Police are investigating.
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