"It just feels very personal," said the victim, who we aren't identifying.
Looking back, this Bellaire working mom says for some time at her house, something seemed off.
"I had noticed things has been misplaced," she said.
But it wasn't until Neiman Marcus called with clear-as-day video that she knew she was right.
"She literally shopped in my closet," the victim said.
Reality sunk in last month. Store cameras followed the woman as she returned $3,000 worth of our Bellaire mom's merchandise and signed her name. The store gave her credit on a gift card and while toting a child...
"Immediately started shopping," Bellaire Police Department Det. Jorge Florido said.
She wanders through the shoe department, tries to pacify the little boy who's visibly upset and eventually ends up in the Louis Vuitton boutique, where she cashes in her gift card for a new handbag and eventually leaves. Outdoor cameras follow her across the street and into a brand new Cadillac. She makes one stop in the parking lot and heads out.
"Somebody out there knows this person," Florido said.
Bellaire police are trying to identify her. The victim doesn't know her or how she got into her home to get her merchandise, but she suspects she's connected to her now ex-babysitter. She thinks she must also be responsible for all the things missing from her closet.
"Designer merchandise, handbags, shoes, some clothing," the victim said.
It's tens of thousands of dollars worth, not to mention piece of mind.
"It's very violating," she said.
She wants the woman caught.
"I would like to find out who did this and prevent them from doing it to anyone else," the victim said.
Police say the store became suspicious when the woman didn't present an ID at customer service, and that's why they followed her. Neiman Marcus says they are working with police but wouldn't discuss store identification policy.
Anyone with information regarding the woman's identity is asked to contact the Bellaire Police Department at 713-668-0487 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
