CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — On Jan. 4, Mykaelynn Adams went into a restaurant near Cedar and Surrey roads in Cleveland Heights to pick up a food order. When she returned to her work van, a gray Ford E-350, it wasn't where she parked it. Someone had stolen it.
"Food was ready to go (and) in a matter of two or three minutes my van was gone," Adams said.
She had left the van running, and inside was her dog named Jett, a black cockapoo.
"(It's) something I've done a million times," she said. "I was trying to just scan my surroundings to see if he (Jett) was close by, but it was tough because he's a black dog. It's almost dark pitch black almost now."
The theft caused heartache and hit Adams' pocketbook. She said the van contained tools and plumbing materials.
"I do home repair-home renovations... predominantly installing bathrooms," Adams said. "So my van was a lot more to me than just a vehicle transportation. It was a means to provide and make sure that just took care of myself."
Adams said her AirPods were in the van, allowing her to track the vehicle to a gas station on East 140th Street and Coit Road.
Adams said gas station workers allowed her to record surveillance footage capturing a person in her van and using her bank card, which she didn't know was in the vehicle. Cameras also captured the person inside the gas station's convenience store.
Adams said the person visited that gas station twice in one day.
"He was pretty comfortable with what he had done at that time," Adams said.
She said she provided police with updates and the surveillance footage but has not heard back from investigators.
But, a miracle did happen in late January when Adams' mom received a call from City Dogs Cleveland. Jett was microchipped and had been found on the front porch of a home on East. 174th Street.
We asked if she had thought Jett would have been gone forever.
"Yeah, definitely. I definitely thorught, because he's a very friendly dog in a sense," Adams said.
Adams thinks her vehicle may still be in Cleveland or Cleveland Heights. She said it had a broken passenger-side headlight and a missing passenger-side mirror. The vehicle's license plate is JXX1977.
"It stands out pretty much anywhere like a sore thumb," Adams said.
She said she hasn't been able to work since the vehicle theft but is hopeful someone will call in a tip if they see her van.
"(I'm) just staying positive that when the van comes back I'll be able to work from that point," Adams said. "Because I believe is going to show up. It has to."
Anyone with information should contact The Cleveland Heights Police Department at 216-291-4987.
News 5 reached out to the police department to learn more about the investigation. We will let you know more when we hear back from the department.
