By Elizabeth Cloutman

Los Altos Hills

In less than two months, beginning in early September, four Los Altos Hills residences near the El Monte Road and I-280 Freeway intersection fell victim to a bold jewel thief, or thieves, who broke into the rear of the homes, despite residents being there.

In the first three incidents - which came at three-day intervals - family members were in the home, eating dinner, when the robberies took place, according to one victim who asked not to be named.

In the most recent incident, which took place about six weeks later, Wilfred and Sigrun Corrigan’s home was robbed when they were out for the evening. The other two victims, also unidentified, have not spoken to the Town Crier.

According to the unnamed victim, the modus operandi was apparently the same in all four cases. Each home is located within a minute’s travel time to I-280. The perpetrator(s) apparently came in through the back yard and entered a room (usually a bedroom) located in the rear the home. Suspect(s) took jewelry and a few other items before making a quick escape.

In the two instances when a burglar alarm sounded, the robber(s) had already made a quick escape by the time family members checked their homes.

No one saw a strange vehicle rush from the area, so the perpetrator(s) may have left the getaway car in a remote area, the unnamed homeowner said.

Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office investigators were unable to find any fingerprints not belonging to residents of the home, although Sigrun Corrigan said last month that footprints were found on her master bedroom floor.

“We think (the perpetrators) are very sophisticated,” one victim said.

Investigators were also unable to identify any individual who had been employed by more than one of the homeowners, the victim said.

All the homeowners lost “thousands of dollars” in jewelry, one victim said. Corrigan said last month that she lost about $100,000 in jewelry.

Corrigan also lost a Louis Vuitton handbag and wallet.

The robber(s) left silverware, passports, money and credit cards behind.

The unnamed victim said in another incident, a missing wallet was later found near a dumpster in a Monterey park with all its contents intact.

Both Corrigan and the second victim said they had lived in Los Altos Hills for several decades and had never been robbed or even heard of multiple robberies in the area before this fall. “Be aware there is a robber or robbers preying on our neighborhood,” the victim said.

Neither Sgt. Mark Eastus or Capt. Dennis Bacon of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office responded to confirm facts about the incidents in time for the Town Crier’s deadline.