PALMETTO, Fla. — For Rachel Speight, these days, her white Mercedes "Mimi" is a sight for sore eyes—after the vehicle was stolen right out of her daughter's Palmetto area driveway in late September.
The keys were in her daughter's unlocked car.
"So they saw a Mercedes key, and next to that car was the Mercedes car. So they just took off," Speight said.
Panicked, she called her insurance company and filed a police report.
She was then told to wait for a call.
"And I was like 'that's it? This my baby!'" she said.
And it's an answer that apparently didn't sit well with Mimi either.
"It was like my car was calling me in my sleep like 'you not gone come get me? Why're you leaving me here?'" she said.
So the next day, Speight decided to take matters into her own hands. She started by making these flyers and handing them out. She also started riding around the area—and eventually got a tip to check out a section of 1st Avenue E.
She found Mimi, along with several other stolen cars, in an empty lot there, including one that had apparently been taken that morning.
"It was crazy because I never thought I would see my car again," Speight said, "It was overwhelming because I know they must have been looking for their cars or given up looking for their cars."
The Manatee County Sheriff's Office said these kinds of crimes are on the rise in the area. To help cut down on them, they're reminding drivers to lock their doors and to keep their keys on them.
It's advice Speight can get behind as she said her stint as a self-appointed detective is done.
"I have people calling me 'can you help me find my husband, can you help me find my wife?'" Speight laughed, "I'm like 'no I'm not helping you find your wife!' they want me to be the real detective for real."
So far, there's still no word on any arrests or pending charges against those connected to these thefts.
