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Heartless thieves break into grieving family's home during vigil

NEWCASTLE, Wash. — Heartless burglars broke into the home of a grieving Newcastle family while they were away at a vigil.

The service was for a former KIRO 7 Eyewitness News colleague, Rose Wisner, who died a week ago of brain cancer.

Wisner's husband, Cris, and his daughters were attending a vigil for Rose at a church Thursday night.  Apparently, burglars knew they were there, too.

Wisner thinks the burglars came in his yard, unscrewed a light bulb and opened an unlocked patio door.

"My oldest went upstairs and started screaming," Wisner said.

The burglars stole three laptops, then walked up to the bedrooms.

"My deceased wife's jewelry was all gone, pillow case gone. My daughter's backpack was gone 'cause they used the backpack to take all their loot from. And then the trauma started. One of my girls cried and was so traumatized, she threw up," he said.

A King County sheriff's record check shows the same thing to another family in January. It also happened in Snohomish County, until those burglars were caught.

"I thought I'd done pretty much what I was supposed to do," Wisner said, adding that he had neighbors looking out for the house. A neighbor's vehicle was left in the driveway.

But he said he can't help blaming himself, "especially after I saw what my girls went through."

Wisner said he is now warning others: Have someone stay at your house -- even if you have to hire someone -- to avoid the heartache he and his daughters feel.