DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — A Delray Beach couple has been left devastated after someone stole a memorial the represented their beloved granddaughter who died in 2011.
For the past year, Debbie Arrigo and her husband Joe have lived inside the gated community of Rainberry Bay, a 55-plus neighborhood located just west of Interstate 95. Their home has always been easy to find thanks to a special landmark that sits outside underneath their mailbox.
"You couldn't miss the baby," Debbie Arrigo said. "She was so beautiful, beautiful colors having just been painted and refurbished she was like alive."
The baby statue was a permanent fixture that symbolized their beloved granddaughter Aubrey Rose.
"She was here when we bought our house just about a year ago, so we felt in our hearts it was like an omen she was here waiting for us," she said.
Aubrey died in 2011 at just 3 years old from a rare epilepsy syndrome called Ohtahara.
"The type of disorder that she had did not allow her to walk or talk or anything," Debbie Arrigo added. "She had a feeding tube too, but she was beautiful."
She and her husband are now heartbroken after someone swiped the precious statue right from their front yard, just months after they had it refurbished.
"Unfortunately, it seems to us that whoever did it went out of their way to come when it was total darkness in the middle of the night," Debbie Arrigo said.
Their surveillance cameras and neighborhood security weren't able to catch the theft. Debbie Arrigo also posted on her Nextdoor page asking for help but hasn't been able to come up with any leads. Her only hope now is that her memorial will somehow find its way back home.
"My message out there is this: If you know of anyone that has taken our baby, or you're that person who has taken our baby, there's no questions asked," she said. "Just put the baby back where it belongs, because it means more to us than it does to you."