Texas family’s trailer stolen during sleepover in Albuquerque

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Seplecha family is originally from Fort Worth, Texas, and each year they drive their college-age son, Anthony, to Embry-Riddle High School in Prescott, Arizona.

On Monday, things had gotten so bad that they decided to take a vacation and spend the night in Albuquerque.

From a young age, science fiction movies like Star Trek and model airplanes were special to Anthony Ceplecha.

“His father was a pilot so he was interested in aviation – planes. I have a lot of pictures of him growing up surrounded by models,” Marcia Seplecha said.

His passion has even influenced his career as a student at Embry-Riddle Aerospace University, and that’s exactly where they were headed on Monday when they decided to stay overnight at the Hilton Garden Inn in Albuquerque.

“We usually rent one U-Haul tow trailer, a small 5-by-8 trailer like you often see,” Seplecha said.

Seplecha said she was surprised when she woke up Tuesday to find the trailer gone.

“I just feel sick, I feel devastated. Myself, my son is devastated and I’m crying,” Seplecha said.

The trailer was found empty in the parking lot of Del Norte Baptist Church on Wednesday, which is when Seplecha decided to turn to social media for help.

“I went on Reddit and posted about it and got so much support from people in Albuquerque with tips on where to look,” Seplecha said.

The family has also been calling local pawn shops in the hopes that some of his collection might be found, and despite the sad situation, she said strangers have given her hope.

“People from all over the country are trying to give him models to replenish his collection. It’s really heartbreaking. I don’t want him to take other people’s models. I just hope that we can get some of our models back,” Seplecha said.

They’ve notified Albuquerque Police and also plan to return here to check out the locations recommended in the Reddit post.

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