The mother and son took matters into their own hands and went after their stolen car and dog themselves
Atlanta family recovers stolen car with AirTag device, continues to search for family dog
An Apple Airtag helped an Atlanta family quickly recover their stolen car, but the family is still desperately looking for their stolen dog, Dior. (FOX 5)
An AirTag helped an Atlanta family quickly recover their stolen car, but the family is still desperately looking for their stolen dog who was also wearing Apple's tracking device.
Sonya Reese told FOX 5 Atlanta that her son, Anthony Reese, went to a local smoke shop on October 12, but to his surprise, when he returned outside, his car had mysteriously disappeared from the shopping center.
Sonya Reese and Dior. The Reese's told FOX 5 how much they loved their dog. (FOX 5 Atlanta, WAGA)
"He walked in and noticed he didn't have his ID, and when he walked out, he noticed the car was gone," Reese said.
Reese said that the family's beloved pet, named Dior, a Shih Tzu Pomeranian mix, was inside a dog carrier in the car at the time it was stolen.
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After calling the police, Anthony recalled that he had an Apple AirTag inside the car and one on Dior's collar.
"I have two AirTags in the car, and one on the dog," he said. "As we are talking to the police, we can see that the air tag was headed to the west side of Atlanta."
Anthony said the AirTags stopped at an apartment complex on the west side of Atlanta, Georgia. (FOX 5 Atlanta, WAGA)
Anthony said that after the AirTags stopped at an apartment complex, the family decided to "take matters into our own hands."
"I looked at my son and said, ‘We’re on the way,'" Sonya said. "We notified the officers and asked if we need to take matters into our own hands, and he shrugged and said you can."
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When Sonya and Anthony arrived at the two AirTags locations, they immediately spotted the stolen vehicle.
"We get there, and the first thing that we see is the car," Anthony said.
But, Dior was nowhere to be found.
Sonya and Anthony Reese discuss the robbery and recovery of their car. (FOX 5 Atlanta, WAGA)
Anthony said one of the AirTags appeared to be inside the apartment. But by the time police arrived, the tags had been disconnected.
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The family said they think police scared the suspects away.
"I was hurt. I was definitely hurt," said Sonya. "I love her to death because that's my fur baby."
Dior, a Shih Tzu Pomeranian mix was inside, nestled in her carrier, at the time of the robbery. (FOX 5 Atlanta, WAGA)
Anthony said that while he got his car back, he did not get what was "emotionally most important" to him.
"I got what was physically most important, but I never got what was emotionally most important to me," Anthony told FOX 5.
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The Atlanta Police Department confirmed they were still looking into the case.
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
She is a native of Massachusetts and is based in Orlando, Florida.
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