A woman went to check on her camper at a storage facility and discovered something considerably larger than a toolbox or lawn mower had disappeared.
Her 2020 River View camper was gone.
The woman contacted the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office after discovering the camper missing from DVR Storage on Township Road 1086.
She told deputies she had parked the camper at the facility and returned to discover it was no longer there. According to the report, she estimated its value at between $46,000 and $66,000.
Deputies opened a theft investigation. No suspects were listed in the report.
Protecting Your Camper From Theft
A camper can represent tens of thousands of dollars in property, and there are a few relatively simple steps owners can take to make one harder to steal — and easier to recover if it disappears.
- Hide a GPS tracker inside. AirTags and similar devices can provide another layer of protection, while dedicated GPS vehicle trackers may provide more robust location information. Don’t put the tracker somewhere obvious where a thief can immediately remove it.
- Use more than the factory locks. A hitch lock, coupler lock or wheel lock adds another obstacle for someone attempting to tow a camper away.
- Photograph the camper and its VIN. Keep the VIN, license plate number, make, model and current photos somewhere you can access even if the camper is gone.
- Inventory what’s inside. Photograph electronics, tools, camping equipment and other valuables and record serial numbers when possible. That can be important for both a police report and an insurance claim.
- Think about the storage location. Lighting, cameras, controlled gate access and regular checks can all matter. If you’re storing the camper for months, don’t assume someone else will notice immediately if it disappears.
- Check on it periodically. The sooner a theft is discovered, the sooner police can begin looking for the camper and reviewing any available surveillance footage.