SAN ANTONIO -- There has been another blow for the family of a grandmother with Alzheimer’s who disappeared from a south San Antonio flea market nearly two months ago.
Maria Llamas was last seen Nov. 20 and her family has been running a massive search campaign since that date.
Over the weekend, thieves made off with the trailer storing all of the family’s search supplies.
Thankfully, the trailer was recovered less than 24 hours later. It was hidden behind a boarded up house in rural Atascosa County.
The family of the missing woman said they are disappointed that people connected to the house were allowed to walk away from the scene and were not arrested.
"At this point, not knowing whether to cry, whether to be upset, whether to be frustrated, there’s really no word," said Maria Llamas Rivera, the daughter of the missing woman.
“It was loaned to us. It was a nice gesture that one of our friends was doing to help us out," Rivera said of the trailer
Jose Silva owns the trailer. He said when volunteers showed up to search Saturday morning, they discovered the theft and had nothing to work with.
"We didn't have nothing to sit on. We didn't have nothing because all the stuff was in the trailer," Silva said
With no supplies, volunteers began searching instead for the stolen trailer and just inside the Atascosa County line, they found it.
The trailer was hidden, covered in tarps and plywood. It was damaged, with both fender wells bent and a hole gouged in one side. Someone had even started peeling off its distinctive markings.
Silva said they called the Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office for help in recovering the trailer and waited almost two hours for a deputy to arrive. Once investigators were on scene, Silva said they pointed out that stolen items from the trailer could be clearly seen inside the home.
Silva said investigators found nobody home, so they could not enter the building.
Silva said when three people connected to the house eventually showed up, only one man, 40-year-old Rogelio Morales, was arrested. He has been charged with drug possession and remains in the Atascosa County Jail.
The family said two other people walked away with no charges and the family said none of the investigators looked for any trace of Maria.
“The stuff is in his house, yet it’s not enough evidence? What else do they need,” Rivera said.
“It's unbelievable, shocking, crazy. All of the above,” Silva said.
Atascosa County Sheriff David Soward said it does not appear the theft of the trailer is connected to Maria's disappearance and property crimes cases take the time to build.
“We're conducting an investigation. That's being done today,” Soward said. “I have an investigator on the scene today looking into this further so hopefully we'll have it wrapped up by the end of the week.”
Soward said the case could be turned over to the San Antonio Police Department for prosecution since the theft happened locally or a case might be made in Atascosa County because the additional stolen merchandise was found in the home.
The family said no matter how the theft cases turn out, they will remain focused on the goal of finding Maria.