PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A family in Northwest Portland is scouring the city for its beloved Count Dracula decoration after it was allegedly stolen from the porch of their home earlier this week.
Sarah, a member of the family who asked that her last name not be published, told KOIN 6 that the life-sized Dracula, was a family heirloom that she has placed outside her home every Halloween since her mother purchased it 20 years ago. The loss of the Dracula decoration, she said, is especially painful after her mother passed away last year.
“I have four boys, they love that Dracula,” Sarah said. “The neighbors love it because his eyes light up at night. All these years and this is the year that someone steals it?”
The suspected porch pirate was captured taking the decoration on the family’s Ring camera on Tuesday, Oct. 18 at approximately 3:10 p.m. In the video, a person wearing a burnt orange hoodie and gray pants is seen pulling up to the home in a silver sedan before grabbing the Dracula, placing it in their open trunk and driving away.
“He didn’t even shut the trunk, he just drove off with Dracula hanging out the trunk,” Sarah said.
While Sarah said that she considers the theft a low priority for Portland police, the local mother is asking residents to keep an eye out for her family’s treasured decoration. Residents with information about the theft can contact PPB’s non-emergency line at (503) 823-3333.
“It’s such a unique piece,” she said. “You know it when you see it.”
Sarah said that only two items have been stolen from her porch in the last 20 years. Both incidents, she said, happened in 2022. However, with the help of social media, the family says they’ve already received some good tips about where to find the Dracula statue with Halloween a little more than a week away.
“There’s no boundaries,” Sarah said. “People just grab things in the middle of the day. They know there’s no repercussions. We’re doing our best on social media to find Dracula and we’ve [received] some great leads.”
Sarah said that if she could talk to the thief, she would tell them that the Dracula statue is part of their family and that they can still bring it back, no questions asked.
“Bring him back,” she said. “You may have kids also. I get it, [Dracula] is really cool. Just drop it off. We won’t care. We just miss him and want him back.”