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Charlotte, NC – A North Carolina Army National Guardsman returned home from working Hurricane Florence relief to find his house was burglarized and ransacked.
Specialist Luis Ocampo, 24, who had been working on the North Carolina coast for 10 days, arrived back to the home he shares with his girlfriend, Kailey Finch, and their one-year-old son, WSOC reported.
He walked in to find that a gun, gaming system, laptop, television, jewelry, and specialty coins had been stolen.
The burglars also trashed the home in their search for items of value, and even stole the food from the soldier’s refrigerator, according to WHNS.
The family believes the looters broke into their residence through a back window while Finch and her son were away on Thursday night.
“It’s our home,” Finch said. “Knowing that someone watches your home and then breaks in while you’re not there – or even if you’re there…It’s irreplaceable. It’s not something you can get back.”
The family was already living on a tight budget, Finch explained.
“If I was [to] do that to someone, I feel like I would feel really bad afterwards,” she said. “I would be like, I see this family struggling and I just messed up their life even worse.”
She said her heart also breaks for her boyfriend, who tries so hard to be of service to those in need.
“He does a lot for everybody,” Finch told WSOC. “He always wants to make sure that everybody gets help.”
The Army National Guard medic has served for the past six years, according to a fundraising page established to help the family recover.
Supporters quickly rallied around the family, raising nearly $15,000 in a single day.
“Thank you so much to all who have donated, your generosity and willingness to help a soldier in need is simply amazing,” the page read.
The family has regained the confidence that they can “come back from this and rebuild,” and said they would soon close down the fundraising effort, according to the page.
“We do not want to take anyone’s generosity for granted. Thank you so much again, may God bless you all,” the page read.
No suspects had been identified as of Sunday morning, WSOC reported.