A local photographer is thanking a good Samaritan after her stolen equipment was returned to her. If she lost that equipment for good, it meant she had to pay nearly $4,000 to replace it.
“My heart breaks because this isn’t just a hobby for me. My husband and I. This is what we do. We just do photography,” said Mikayla Chaparro.
She was taking pictures at the Lubbock Municipal Garden and Arts Center when someone broke into her car and stole her camera bag. In that bag was a back-up camera, batteries, lenses, and other supplies that cost thousands.
“That was our livelihood. That was the way that we make money and the way we put a roof over their heads,” said Chaparro,”Yesterday, I really had a moment where I was like ‘I’ve lost all faith in humanity.'”
She turned to social media and didn’t expect the reaction to her post.
“It blew up. I think almost 3,000 people shared it. I had hundreds of comments. Thousands of people liked it,” Chaparro said.
A stranger ended up buying the equipment online, not knowing it was stolen. She recognized the post from Facebook and gave everything back to Chaparro. Mikayla said that small gesture meant everything to her and her family.
“You hear so many bad things about people happening nowadays. I just didn’t imagine recovering. I just knew it was a complete loss. When someone came forward and did this for us, I was just so grateful and humbled and just felt like there are far more good people in the world than there are bad,” said Chaparro.
Mikayla still has to pay to replace the glass on her car, but she said it’s way better than having to buy a new set of gear.
You can find Mikayla’s photography company here.
The police report shows they haven’t arrested anyone related to this vehicle burglary.