Fresno woman believes burglars scouted neighborhood for targets before break-in

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- While families were wrapping up Thanksgiving dinner, a Central Valley family came home from vacation to find their home broken into and ransacked.

The burglary happened at a home in Northeast Fresno last month, but the homeowner is coming forward with her story now to warn people of what not to do before leaving to go out of town for the holidays.

Surveillance video captured three masked men, holding walkie talkies. Therese Gulesserian believes the trio came into her backyard looking for something other than a hot meal.

"They could have tried anyone of these openings, but they went straight for this one," she said pointing to her master bedroom. "This is the door they went to and shattered it and only went to that one room."

And it happens to be the only room in the house without a motion sensor.

Gulesserian believes the thieves knew because she thinks they had been there the day before.

"The service men came out spent time looking around couldn't help me with my problem," she said.

She says they came before she and her family left to go out of town.

"I had some winter coats on the bed," Gulesserian said. "I had duffle bags halfway packed that looked like I might be on my way somewhere."

She says the thieves ransacked her room and stole about $10,000 worth of jewelry out of her dresser drawer. She thinks they also went into her closet searching for a wall safe.

Gulesserian has spent the last month scouring sites like Craigslist, hoping to find her stolen belongings. But now she is just counting her losses and using this experience as an opportunity to warn people about making the same mistake she did.

"I should have never have left my luggage," she said. "Don't leave any sign that you are leaving."

It's a lesson she had to learn the hard way over the holidays.