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SUV stolen with Christmas gifts inside returned 2 weeks later untouched

Posted at 12:26 AM, Dec 13, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-13 04:16:06-05

Shauna Hostetler wanted to do something special this December. In addition to getting gifts for 100 local kids in need, she also wanted to help their mothers.

“Mothers put themselves on the back-burner so this is something a mother or woman who’s struggling, is not going to go out for Christmas to buy herself cosmetics,” said Hostetler. 

And they won't have to this year thanks to boxes of donations from "Cosmetics for a Cause."

All that was left was to pack the goody bags and with help from Guatemalan Mayan Center, wait for Christmas to give them away.  A third of the makeup was in her garage, the rest was in her car.

“Two weeks ago (Nov. 27) we woke up and realized that our Suburban had been stolen and reported it to police.  The sad thing was … t was filled with gifts,” she said. “Everyday that went on, the odds of us ever seeing that car or anything inside it ... it was just improbable,” said Hostetler.

But then early Tuesday morning, they received a phone call from the West Palm Beach Police Department asking them to come to a downtown parking lot. They thought they had found the SUV.

“As we (drove) closer, I told my husband I was very nervous. When we opened the car ... everything … everything was in there,” said Hostetler.

The car seemingly untouched. Nothing inside damaged.

“This wasn’t about me. This was about other people and their need and trying to bring something good into their life. So that feels really good,” she said. 

They’re going to start packing those bags soon and there’s still enough time to get it all done, in time for Christmas.  

It's unclear who might be responsible for stealing the vehicle.