Thieves target Harvey flood victims in Alvin

HOUSTON – Like so many other Houstonians, Harvey flooded the Bowman family’s home in Alvin.

“We got back into town and had to throw all of our belongings to the curb like so many people around here,” Angela Bowman said. 

So the Bowman’s moved in with family and packed up everything they could save into large 55 gallon bins.  Then they put the bins in their trailer, locked it up and kept the trailer in their driveway. That is until Friday when someone broke into the trailer. Angela discovered it as she drove up to their flooded home.

“It was just panic,” Angela Bowman said. “The kids are saying, ‘What is it mom? And I'm going please no, please no, as I see that door open.'” 

She found someone had cut the lock off the trailer and stole eight of those storage totes.

“We had them labeled, so I guess they knew what they were getting,” Bowman said.

Inside were things of value like her husband’s hunting gear, ammunition, and his large collection of arrowheads.

Then there were the irreplaceable, personal items like their children’s baby dedication bibles, her childhood bible from growing up.

The kids raced bikes. All their racing gear was gone too.

The trailer has since been moved from the driveway of their home, to another location.

The children have their own ideas of what they want to be returned the most.

“My first arrow head and my dad's skins,” Madalynn Bowman said.

“I hope my dad gets his stuff back,” Colton Bowman said.

Now the family is hoping whoever did will return their stuff. They are even offering a $2000 reward for the return of what was stolen.

“We’re hoping that someone will have seen something or someone with a whole bunch of totes with a whole bunch of stuff that doesn’t belong to them,” said Bowman. “They’ll see all of these and will contact us or the police or you guys, just contact someone, so we can get some of it back.”

The theft was another blow, after they’re home suffered flood damage. Now they’re relying on friends, family and faith.

“My friends are saying God's got this,” Bowman said. “Harvey wasn't a surprise to him and this isn't a surprise to him, even though it was a surprise to us. Something good can come out of it.”