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Auto Theft Victim Says Car Crimes Becoming Too Common In Her Southeast Denver Neighborhood

(CBS4) - A woman who lives in the Virginia Village area of southeast Denver is struggling after she became the victim of a car crime for a third time.

In the first crime, someone broke a window on her vehicle. After that, someone stole her pickup truck's catalytic converter while it was parked outside her apartment. A year later, someone stole the truck from the same place it had been parked when the converter was stolen. That truck, which was taken on Friday, was very special to her.

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"They took my son's truck (and) my memories of my son," May Rose told CBS4.

"It's just an old truck, but it's mine, that he gave to me."

Rose had her stolen catalytic converter replaced last year for a steep price.

"It was a couple thousand dollars for me," she said.

Now she's just hoping her old truck turns up.

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Data from the City of Denver shows that auto theft in the Virginia Village neighborhood increased by 64% from 2019 to 2020, and Rose says it has been getting worse since then.

"This ain't the first stolen car from around here. That's one reason everybody started putting on clubs on them. But I'm finding out that's not working," she said.

Rose is a widow on a fixed income, so the crimes have been particularly hard on her. She has also been working on buying a tombstone for her late son's grave. There is an online fundraiser that has been set up to help her out.

RELATED: Colorado Car Theft Victims Join Forces To Take Action Against Thieves

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