JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A family is now living in fear after someone stole all of their Christmas cheer.
A crook broke into a Northwest Jacksonville home last week, taking everything that was under the Christmas tree and a lot of what else was inside the home.
News4Jax spoke Friday to the homeowner's mother, who said the entire family is now worried the person is still on the loose.
"I cry, I pray. It makes me feel bad. It makes me feel real bad, really bad," said Joann Hopkins, whose daughter's home was burglarized.
Hopkins said that in broad daylight, somebody walked up to the back of her daughter's house, climbed in one of the windows and stole nearly everything the family has.
Thankfully, Hopkins said, nobody was home at the time.
"The kids look forward to Christmas," Hopkins said. "The little ones even still believe in Santa Claus. Yes, it's disappointing."
Hopkins said her daughter is worried because the burglar is still on the loose, but she said this has been a very difficult experience knowing how hard her daughter worked to be able to buy her children what they wanted this Christmas.
"If I could, I would go and do everything I can, but I can't," Hopkins said.
Instead, another friend has stepped in and set up a GoFundMe page to try to raise money so the four children can have something under the tree when they wake up Christmas morning. That alone is something Hopkins said makes her smile.
"It means a lot that people care enough about kids they don't even know, that aren't kin to them," Hopkins said.
But still, she feels somebody knows who is responsible for taking most of what the family had.
"If it wasn't my family, it would be someone else's family," Hopkins said. "Someone has to stop at some point and say what they see so all of this can stop."
Anyone who would like to donate to the fund for the children's Christmas gifts can click here.