It was supposed to be the best day of his life.
Josh Horning-Lancaster and Ashley Harmon welcomed their newborn son, Jackson, on December 29.
Both the parents were ecstatic. They were discharged on New Year’s Eve and were excited to start the new year as one big happy family.
Stolen wedding ring, military medals recovered by Calgary police
read more
“I’ve wanted it for a very long time, ever since I was a child. I chose this name since childhood,” Horning-Lancaster told Global News.
“I’m so excited. Everything was right and healthy and I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
However, the day quickly turned sour.
Horning-Lancaster said she first saw her Xbox gaming console upside down on the floor and her chest full of comic books ransacked, a sign that the house had been broken into.
After the birth of their newborn son, Josh Horning-Lancaster and Ashley Harmon came home to find their house had been broken into.
Courtesy of Josh Horning-Lancaster and Ashley Harmon.
When Harmon went to check the walk-in closet they shared, she found her jewelry boxes open and money given to her at baby showers and Christmas parties gone.
After the birth of their newborn son, Josh Horning-Lancaster and Ashley Harmon came home to find their house had been broken into.
The thieves also stole cards given to them by family and friends at their baby showers. Horning-Lancaster said they were scattered across the floor, each of them carrying a check with cash or a gift card.
$200k in stolen jewelry, cars, firearms found after Calgary-area break-in and investigation
Worst of all, the family had moved into their house only a month earlier.
“It’s shocking. Why do you have to do this?” Horning-Lancaster asked.
“We were just getting started… We had a little nest for[Jackson]from food to clothes to rent, and that was all cleared up.”
But money is not the only concern. Harmon said she no longer felt safe in her home and did not leave her son alone unless absolutely necessary.
“I feel uncomfortable. I don’t like going into the closet anymore. Every time I look at it, I feel sad,” she said.
“I have been alone only once since the incident. I’m always watching the door.
The incident comes after the Calgary Police Service reported a “record low level” of break-and-enters since the start of the pandemic.
A spokesperson for the Calgary Police Service told Global News there was a “huge drop” in November 2022. Last December, police saw the lowest number of residential break-ins in six years, 37 percent below average and 23 percent below 2021.
CPS said the trend is likely to continue despite more vacant homes as many Calgarians return to the workplace.
Horning-Lancaster and Harman said they are still trying to recover financially from the robbery. they have established a GoFundMe Trying to raise money for bills, food and other basic necessities.
The fundraiser has raised more than $3,000 as of Thursday.
Horning-Lancaster said, “It was brought to my attention that maybe we should try to set something up … It’s gained traction really quickly.”
“It was shocking how quickly our family and friends wanted to help. It saved us.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.