SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A 17-year-old San Diego cancer patient says that she was the victim of a theft while she was in surgery for pancreatic cancer.
Kaleena Morquecho told FOX 5/KUSI Monday that her sister, Sahara, was diagnosed with terminal Stage 4 cancer several weeks ago and was undergoing surgery at UC San Diego Health in Hillcrest when her purse with her wallet, jewelry, ID, cash and sentimental photos of her late father inside was stolen.
“We could not find it, we notified hospital staff, and no one really took it serious. They kind of said maybe it got lost in the linens; it’ll turn up. No incident report was filed, and I asked every single day,” Kaleena said. “Finally Thursday, when Sahara was well enough to check her phone, on the Find My app on iPhone, she was able to see that her AirPods were at a residence in Lemon Grove.”
Kaleena said they called the sheriff’s office, which sent a deputy to the residence in Lemon Grove.
“They knocked on the door, and the lady’s car was there, but no answer. We ended up getting her lease agreement — the landlord wanted to help out,” she said.
Kaleena said that when the sheriff’s office looked up the woman’s name, they were able to see that she allegedly had four prior arrests related to theft and burglary.
“We called the hospital, and she does in fact work at the hospital where my sister is,” she said.
In a statement, UC San Diego Health said, “Privacy laws prevent us from commenting on whether any individual is or has been a patient at UC San Diego Health. We also are unable to comment on matters that may involve personnel issues or ongoing investigations. We understand that situations involving a patient’s personal belongings can be deeply upsetting, and we take any concerns regarding the safety and security of patients and visitors very seriously.”
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said the case has been directed to the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) for investigation.
Kaleena said that more than anything, her sister is just hoping for the return of her photos of their late father.
“I think that was one of the ways that she coped with the grief. She would look at the pictures, hold them,” she said. “She really misses her dad.”
Kaleena said the theft was shocking.
“You think someone is safe; you think their belongings are safe when they are in a surgery. We are not thinking about, ‘Is someone going to steal from us?’” said Kaleena. “To find out her things got stolen from the house of sick, I think that’s so evil.”
We reached out to SDPD and are waiting for a response.