An entire cabin was stolen, including the concrete steps and the deck, from Loon Lake, Washington, leaving one family stunned Tuesday. But just days later, an anonymous tip led to the cabin’s recovery.
Moose Hempel, the owner of the missing cabin, told USA Today his family went to the property this week and saw that the front gate lock had been cut. When they went onto the property, they found someone had taken their small cabin, leaving just the concrete blocks it was sitting on.
“It was really kind of heartbreaking, I mean, you're shocked," Hempel said.
Luckily for Hempel and his family, a tip led law enforcement to find the cabin.
“(Stevens County) Sheriff (Kendle) Allen said the cabin was found on the opposite side of Springdale from where it was
stolen. Allen said there are suspects, but so far no one has been arrested,” KHQ reported.
Right now, the cabin is still where it was found while a search warrant is being executed, the station said.
The 10-by-20-foot cabin, located in the woods north of Spokane, had been on its original site about four years, USA Today said. A mattress, bunk beds, and camping gear were inside.
"We come up here, we'd sleep overnight a couple times a year and just kind of come up here and relax, just chill out up here," Hempel said. He told the newspaper the cabin had disappeared sometime in the previous two weeks.
Although an unusual crime, it’s not the first time thieves have made off with an entire cabin.
In February, Oregon police were on the lookout for a cabin stolen from property there. That cabin also was found.
“I’ve seen a lot of scams but I’ve never seen an entire house gone missing,"
Klamath County Sheriff Frank Skrah told Reuters at the time.
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