An Iowa woman named Victoria O’Connor recently used Apple’s “Find My iPhone” feature — which is now part of the “Find My” app in iOS 13 — to help locate her car after it was stolen. Originally brought to light by KCCI Des Moines, O’Conner left her iPhone in her car while making a quick purchase at a local convenience store. Perhaps not thinking at the time, O’Conner left the keys inside with the car still running. When she came back, her car — along with her iPhone and wallet — were nowhere to be seen.
Compounding matters is that O’Conner’s apartment was partially destroyed by a fire about three months ago. As a result, O’Conner notes that she has essentially been living out of her car for a few weeks on end.
With the “Find My iPhone” feature enabled, local authorities managed to discern the general location of the phone, and in turn, locate and recover the stolen car at a nearby apartment complex. Unfortunately, O’Connor has yet to recover her iPhone, wallet, and other belongings. The police, though, are confident that all of the aforementioned items are located somewhere within the same apartment complex.
“Thieves are going to be thieves,” an officer on the case said. “So, the best thing you can do is don’t leave your car running unattended and take care of the things that are valuable to you.”
You’d think that this would go without saying, but the story above certainly proves otherwise.
“I think there are a lot of things missing, but I’m glad to have my car back,” O’Connor said of the ordeal.
Police are still trying to retrieve O’Connor’s personal items, and they’re hoping security footage from the convenience store will help them identify the culprit and figure out which apartment they happen to live in.
