Real-Life Grinch Steals Family's Gifts, Puppy; Mom Thanked God for Situation, Learning to Let Go
A real-life Christmas "Grinch" ruined the holiday for one Tampa, Florida family now missing not only the presents but also their beloved puppy. Police are hoping that someone will come forward with the necessary information to reunite the family with their pet.
Melody Russell and her children, Marcus, 5, and Marissa, 7, were all out when the burglary occurred. When they returned home, they found nothing but leftover wrapping paper, broken sliding glass doors; and all the Christmas presents and the new puppy Melody bought were completely gone. Police confirmed the burglary and tried to make it a good Christmas for the family.
Police pooled their money, then went out to buy the presents Melody had purchased for her children.
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"Here in Tampa, our officers patrol these streets," Lt. Yvette Flynn told ABC News. "When something like this happens, it affects us because these are our residents, these are our families, these are our kids. She was so surprised. She didn't realize all these officers were going to show up to the house with all these gifts."
"I was just in awe," Melody said. "I had just gotten done praying and meditating and worshiping and thanking God for the situation because we always learn from everything that we go through. Their dog is what they want," she added. "As I was talking to Marissa, she could barely talk last night because she was just crying and crying. So, it's hard, it's definitely hard. It's like losing a family member."
The police are currently searching for the 12-week-old puppy named Honey. They've posted information on their Facebook page and are keeping a special eye out during routine patrols.
"Believe it or not, the thieves took the family dog," the Facebook post reads. "It would mean so much to the kids to have their dog Honey back."
"I want to thank the people, the policemen that have brought all of these," Marissa told reporters about her presents. "They are so great. Thank you very much!"
