JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — For Daniel and Hannah Espinoza, the 2,000-mile journey from Salt Lake City to Jacksonville was supposed to be a celebratory move marking their transition to first-time homeowners. Instead, the couple is starting their new life in Duval County with little more than the clothes on their backs.
The excitement of signing the paperwork for their first home was shattered Sunday morning when Daniel, who was driving the couple’s U-Haul across the country, discovered the U-HAUL had been stolen from a hotel parking lot during an overnight stop in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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“The most traumatic thing that has ever happened,” Daniel Espinoza said Wednesday when we talked to him, recalling the moment he found only shattered glass where their entire life had been parked.
While Albuquerque police were able to track the vehicle down using an iPad and the “Find My” app, the scene they found was a gut-wrenching one. The truck had been picked through and stripped. Aside from a few scattered books, cleaning supplies, and some clothing, the majority of their possessions were gone.
For Hannah, the financial loss pales in comparison to the sentimental one. Among the missing items were handwritten notes, wedding mementos, and gear from her time serving with the U.S. Coast Guard.
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“That’s what hurts,” Hannah said. “Those things we’re never going to get back. It’s not things that whoever stole our stuff cares about—it’s going to be scrapped.”
The couple had planned to turn the long move into a scenic vacation, but the joy of the milestone has been replaced by the reality of furnishing an entire house from scratch. What was meant to be a house full of memories is now a series of empty rooms.
“We finally bought something that’s ours,” Hannah said. “And then Sunday morning, I wake up and find out that it’s all gone.”
Despite the setback, the Espinozas are determined to rebuild in their new community, though the echoes of what was lost remain.
Fundraiser by Dannah Bourgoza : Help Dannah Replace their Home after U-Haul Theft
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