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Car stolen with Utah family’s dog inside

Posted at 10:06 PM, Jan 11, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-12 00:06:55-05

WEST JORDAN – A car thief drove away with more than just a family’s 2012 Toyota Camry Friday night; they took the family’s 11-year-old dog too.

“It’s been really hard,” said Caroline Wamsley, a mother of five. “My youngest son is really attached. He’s been with her his whole life.”

Wamsley’s son, Isaac is 11-years-old too.

“She jumps into the bed into my arms,” he said. Ever since he can remember she slept in his bed with him at night.

“She was always my favorite,” he said while trying to hold back tears.

The family says Sammi went everywhere with them. When they went on vacations, Sammi would come too. So, when Isaac went to his cousin’s house to play Friday night, it only seemed fitting that Sammi went over with his mom to pick Isaac up.

“She was in there with the heater on,” said Wamsley of leaving Sammi in the car while it sat in the driveway. “That’s why the car was running,” she added.

Wamsley said she went inside just long enough to help Isaac with his jacket and shoes, while standing at the door. But in that minute, someone jumped into her car and threw it in reverse, while Wamsley and Isaac watched in horror.

“I was like, no good,” Isaac said while noticeably tearing up remembering the moment. The family says the thief sped off down the street before running a stop sign and disappearing.

The family tried tracking Wamsley’s cell phone that was in the car, but the thief shut it off immediately.  Eventually, the phone was turned back on, but when police went to get it, a man claiming to know nothing about the robbery or the car had it.

The car, and Sammi remain missing. Anyone with any information is encouraged to call police or drop Sammi off at a shelter so she can get back to her family.​