Car keys left on a church table vanished - along with the thief who took the car

A Lady’s Island woman’s vehicle — along with a number of belongings inside — was stolen from her church parking lot on Wednesday.

The woman parked her black Ford Explorer at Tidal Creek Fellowship Church on Brickyard Point Road South around 7 p.m. and noticed her keys were missing around 10:45 p.m., according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report made available Monday morning. Minutes later, she discovered the vehicle was gone.

The approximately $8,000 vehicle had nearly $1,500 worth of belongings inside including bags, a wallet, credit cards, Social Security cards, cash and a smart phone, according to the report. The victim said she had left her keys on a table upon entering the church.

Security footage at the church showed a male juvenile sitting beside the keys and then wandering around the parking lot until entering and driving away in the victim’s vehicle, according to the report. The suspect is described as wearing a dark jacket and light pants. No further description was provided in the report.

The vehicle has not yet been recovered and the incident in under investigation, Capt. Bob Bromage of the Sheriff’s Office said Monday afternoon.

This story was originally published March 27, 2017 at 2:14 PM with the headline "Car keys left on a church table vanished - along with the thief who took the car."