Alabama woman caught on camera stealing from wedding; gifts were meant for charity



FLORENCE, Ala. - Police are still looking for a woman wanted for a series of wedding thefts in north Alabama.

Married for less than a week, Anna Perez Todd and her new husband Lee left for their honeymoon, not worrying about what happened to their gifts.

"We just were thinking, 'Oh they'll turn up, it'll be fine,'" Anna said.

As far as they were concerned, things were under control.

"We actually had friends going through the garbage," Lee said.

After a friend checked the security footage from First Christian Church in Florence, the happy couple got a sickening text.

"They sent me a screenshot and said, 'Who is this? we just need to see where she put them'," Anna said.

It was then the couple realized their gifts were not misplaced.

"That pretty much turned into anger. Because all the money was donations. We didn't ask for stuff. We have stuff," Lee said.

Every dime was meant to help research FOXG1 Syndrome, which Anna and Lee's daughter Aria has.

"She walked by us, she walked by my child in a wheelchair. She walked through my family to steal from us," Anna said.

The woman shows up several times on the church's camera system, trying to hide her face as she wanders the building.

"They watched her go in there, close the door and stay in there for a few minutes. Then they see her go through the sanctuary, down to the room where the bride and all of our stuff was," Anna said.

Anna said she's talked with more brides from last Saturday who were stolen from. She said after the woman left her wedding a little after 4:00 p.m., she was seen at a wedding at Sweetwater Depot, then at Montgomery Place in Sheffield. Later, she went back to Florence to steal from a wedding at First Baptist Church.

"She was definitely on a mission. And she wanted to go through as many places as she could. And there's no telling how far or how wide this goes," Anna said.

So far, Florence police say they don't know the woman's name. She's already wanted for a wedding theft in Limestone County and may have been stealing from weddings in Alabama for the last three years.

"They'll get her, I'm sure they will," Lee said.

If you recognize the woman in the video, you're asked to contact Detective Hine with the Florence Police Department at 256-760-6610 or text a tip to 274637 using keyword "FPDTIP" plus your message.

You can learn more about FOXG1 Syndrome at their website.