MACON, Ga. — "It's just extremely frustrating. This is a very quiet community out here; and we all look out for one another. We hate to see things like this happening," Ryan Edwards said.
She says someone stole about $400 worth of items off her porch.
Recently, dozens of packages have disappeared from a handful of south Macon-Bibb County homes. We share more details about what's happening, and how you can protect your packages.
Within the last week, images and videos of a woman stealing packages from porches started popping up in several neighborhood Facebook groups. Two south Macon-Bibb County neighborhoods have a porch package thief, so 13WMAZ brought it to the attention of the Bibb County Sheriff's Office.
Ryan Edwards has lived in south Macon for more than a decade. On December 2, just before 1 p.m., someone stole her Amazon packages.
"I got home from work a little bit after 5:00, in which case I noticed my packages weren't there after they had said they'd been delivered, so I got on my cameras and I took a look, and sure enough, there was someone stealing them off my front porch," Edwards said.
Edwards says the thief took more than $400 from her and her family. They stole Christmas presents she bought for her children and husband.
"I'm a hard worker and I work really hard for my money, and you know, I try to provide for my family, so something like that being taken is extremely detrimental," Edwards said.
According to the Bibb County Sheriff's Office Crime Prevention Network, the woman in Edwards' surveillance photos is also wanted for multiple package thefts throughout south Macon and Lizella. The car she has been riding in is a Honda Civic with a missing front bumper.
"We are not going to get our packages back or anything like that, but people like that need to be taken off the streets," Edwards said.
This time of year, many people have packages delivered as the holiday gets closer, so how can you avoid them being stolen?
Lieutenant Tim James with the Crime Prevention Network says to install security cameras, sign up for tracking alerts, require signatures, coordinate with your neighbors, and request a mail hold when you're out of town.
"They look for patterns with people. They notice that their cars are there or not there. These people do do their homework. They do watch you, so typically, we try to tell you not to be in a pattern. Don't fall into a typical pattern," James said.
Edwards said, "I hope justice is served and these people are arrested."
Lieutenant James also said porch package thieves typically steal between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., so if your employer is willing, have your packages mailed to your workplace.
If you see someone stealing packages from your neighborhood or if you can help locate or identify the suspect in south Macon-Bibb County, you should contact Investigator Shaun Bridger at 478-951-5851.