AirTag and Action 13 helping woman find thief who stole her purse at Bush Airport security

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- An Apple AirTag and METRO Houston's comprehensive lost and found procedures are helping police solve a puzzling crime: Who stole a woman's purse in the security screening line at Bush Intercontinental Airport?

About 10 days ago, nurse June Ozoa dropped off three fellow nurses at the airport after the group held a mini-reunion in Houston.

As the women left, Ozoa snapped a picture of her friends going through security. The photo captured one friend's light beige purse. She just never imagined it would disappear minutes later.

"That's insane," Ozoa said later. "That's the most secure place in the airport. How do you lose something there?"

Her friend couldn't believe it either, and when she tracked her AirTag to look for her purse, it showed it was still in the TSA security area. She spent the next three hours trying to get TSA officials to help her look for her purse. However, she says they were dismissive of her efforts to track it down.

"They were not helpful. They were rude," the woman said from her home in California. "I was hopeful that TSA, the security at the airport, was going to help me. Being a citizen, trying to ask for help, rather than being accusatory of me."

The victim says she finally gave up. Even with the AirTag still showing her purse in the TSA area, she got on a plane and flew home to California. The next day, she saw her AirTag and Airpods had moved. The tag ended up at the METRO bus terminal, while the AirPods continued to the East Freeway before disappearing near Normandy.

Frustrated, she turned to Action 13.

"I'm just calling the TV station to get me some help. What can I do here to be able to help other people in the community as well," she asked.

ABC13 called METRO, who found the pink AirTag in their lost and found.

Because each lost and found item is carefully logged, METRO was able to pinpoint the AirTag to the same bus, the Bush Airport route.

Action 13 then called Houston police, and they requested that METRO turn over the video from the bus.

The victim said investigators told her they had located a suspect on the bus video and are working to identify that person.

Ozoa hopes charges are filed soon and that her friend will still be willing to visit Houston.

"Houston, it's our city, our home," she said. "Now I just feel like she may be traumatized to come back to Houston!"

The women suspect an airport worker may have taken the purse, but that is just their assumption. They do not have any specific information. They are hoping Houston Police can find the suspect.

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