JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Deputies have recovered an SUV stolen from a family who lost their home in the Marshall Fire, with the family's possessions still inside, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said Thursday.
Nicole and Ryan Fazio's SUV was stolen Jan. 4 from the Westminster hotel where they were staying after their Louisville home was destroyed in the fire. The SUV contained the few possessions they could grab from the house as they evacuated, including two bins containing irreplaceable family photos.
The couple said the photo boxes belonged to Ryan's late mother, Barbara, who passed away last year.
"Honestly, like we don't even care if the people who stole the car keep the car," Nicole said at the time. "Like if you could just please drop the photos off at a police station, because it's literally all we have left of his mom."
Westminster police sent out an alert later that day asking the public to be on the lookout for the SUV.
"It's the worst situation that could possibly happen, one after the other after the other," Nicole said Thursday. "And you never hear of it working out. Ever. And so I'm really glad that the universe chose this time to pull through."
The SUV was recovered with the bins still inside, the family said. They haven't been opened yet, due to the ongoing investigation into the theft.
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