As soon as she laid her hand on the handle of her car door, she sensed something was horribly wrong.
"Instantly, I knew. I had a sinking feeling," recalled Laurel Waymark of last Saturday afternoon, July 17 when she returned to Beresford Avenue to pick up her car. She had been visiting her best friend, who lives on the street, the night before. The two had taken advantage of the warm summer evening, relaxing and having some beverages in the backyard. Calling it a night around 1 a.m., Waymark hailed a cab outside her friend's house and noticed nothing amiss about her red two-door Honda Civic, circa 1998, parked on the west side of Beresford Avenue, just north of Annette Street and south of St. Johns Road.When she returned the following day at 1 p.m., however, it was a different story. Someone had broken into her vehicle. Her boyfriend's grandmother's engagement ring and wedding band, which had been stowed away in the front seat console were gone."They were an 'I love you' present from my boyfriend," explained Waymark, Wednesday evening, July 21 . "His grandmother had asked my boyfriend to give them to me. I feel absolutely sick about it. It was a memento from a very important woman."If they were savvy criminals, they would have taken items worth money, said Waymark. There was an iPod, some other jewelry and clothes in the car, but those remained untouched. "My hope is that maybe it was kids out to have a good time. Maybe (the rings) are sitting on someone's dresser?" said Waymark. "It was like a slap in the face. It just goes to show that when you have that sense that something's going to go wrong, you should just listen."That's how the rings ended up in her car in the first place. On her way over to her friend's house, Waymark stopped at Stonegate Plaza on Berry Road in Etobicoke to pick up some club soda. Feeling uneasy about the teens she saw hanging out there, she said she took the rings out of her purse and locked them in her car. And, that's where they stayed for the night. On Sunday, July 18, Waymark and her boyfriend went to the police where they filed a report."It's an ongoing problem we have," said 11 Division Police Const. Russ Golding of auto thefts. "Certainly, sometimes these things are recovered in pawn shops or in the possession of the criminal, but I wouldn't want to give anyone false hope." It's very difficult to match the items to the person they were stolen from, added Golding. Cops warn people when parking their vehicle to lock all doors and roll up the windows. Park in areas that are both well lit and well travelled. Never leave the vehicle running while unattended and never leave a spare key in the car. Do not tempt criminals by leaving any valuables of any kind in your vehicle. "We regularly try to alert people that they can't leave laptops, purses, wallets or purses - they're real attractors," said Golding. Leaving the suction cup mount for the GPS on the windshield may make criminals believe there is something of value left in the car. Even insurance cards and vehicle ownership are appealing to criminals, he said. "They can be used fraudulently," he said. Conceal paperwork in the trunk, advised Golding.Waymark said she has learned a very tough life lesson. The rings have no monetary value, only really strong sentimental importance to Waymark and her boyfriend's family. His grandmother passed away just last year. She was 98 when she died. The wedding band is a simple yellow gold band and the engagement ring has three small diamonds. "They were not big by any stretch of the imagination. The clasp overshadows the diamonds," said Waymark.She and her boyfriend have put up posters and visited pawn shops in the area, but to no avail. "I'd really love people to understand - there will be no questions asked. I don't want to press charges. I don't even want to have a conversation," she said. If anyone has any information, call or text 416-894-8921.