Gilroy police looking for suspect who stole life-saving cancer medication

UPDATE: 5:30 p.m. 08/07/19 Police in Gilroy are looking for a suspect who stole a backpack containing cancer medication.

The family of Maria Sanchez, the victim, is now offering a $500 reward for the safe return of the contents within the backpack.

“You can keep the purse, keep the money, just return all the contents back to us and do something right for a woman who has such a kind heart and doesn’t deserve this,” said the victim’s daughter, Vera Sanchez-Ramirez.

The family was traveling home from Sanchez’s doctors appointment at UCSF when they stopped at the Panda Express on Camino Arroyo in Gilroy. After they got home, Sanchez realized she no longer had her backpack. They contacted Panda Express and Gilroy Police Department.

Surveillance video from the restaurant showed a man leaving the restaurant with the backpack shortly after.

That backpack had life-saving cancer medication for Sanchez and tons of insurance information inside.

“She’s a walking miracle, and we would like to keep that for a little longer, but we don’t know because now she doesn’t have her medication so it makes us worry that much more,” said her daughter.

Police are now hoping the man turns the backpack over on his own.

“Clearly it’s someone’s medication the least he could do is call 9-1-1 and say i found a bag of medicine I’m going to leave it here and leave. But we’d like for him to reach out to a medical facility and turn it over or contact some authority and turn it over, so we can get this medication back to this patient,” said Capt. Joseph Deras.

“I have a three-year-old son and we want him to have his grandma around a little longer and just somebody could possibly cut that short for her and that makes me so sad,” said Sanchez-Ramirez.

If you have any information, you are asked to call Gilroy police at 408-846-0300 or Vera Sanchez-Ramirez at 559-380-7886.

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Police say the theft happened at Panda Express on Tuesday at around 6:20 p.m. They said a customer had accidentally left it in the dining area.

The backpack contained an ID and valuables in the victim’s name, but also life-saving cancer medication.

Officers said the victim needs the medications back. If you have any information, you are asked to call Gilroy police at 408-846-0300.