Mourning Tewksbury family hit by an 'obituary burglar'

A Tewksbury family mourning the loss of their father arrived home on Tuesday night to find their home had been ransacked by a robber.

Bryan Fleury tells FOX 25 that his father, Wayne, passed away just weeks after being diagnosed with cancer at the age of 48.

While Bryan and hundreds of others attended the wake on Tuesday night, someone broke into the family's Elm Street home. The thief broke in through a basement window and squeezed through a tiny crawl space.

More than $2,000 of the family's belongings were stolen. The list of stolen items includes a wallet, iPad, iPod, camera, Xbox, WII, and a lap top that belong to Wayne. The lap top was filled with Wayne's music and family photos.

Bryan says the contents of the lap top were projects that Wayne worked on and that they meant something to his family.

Police suspect this is likely an obituary burglary. They say it happens more than most would expect. Thieves scan death notices that list the dates of a funeral or wake. They then break in, expecting that at that time and date no one will be home.

Wayne's family never gave it a thought before their house was broken into, but it's all they can think about now.

Cox Media Group