WATCH: San Angelo family speaks out after viral Mother’s Day purse theft

SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — Gabriel Flores and his aunt, Lucy Gutierrez, had a Mother’s Day they’ll never forget—one that ended with a viral post about the theft of their grandmother’s (and mother’s) purse. These two sat down with Concho Valley Homepage’s Manny Diaz to talk about their Mother’s Day.

“It was Mother’s Day weekend, and I was really looking forward to spending time and my grandma and my mom at church,” said Flores.

On May 11, the family was at St. Joseph’s church for Mother’s Day Sunday mass. Gutierrez said that her 77-year-old mother is a weekly parishioner at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church who often helps usher a fellow churchgoer to and from her seat on Sundays. When her mother got up to usher, she left her purse in the pew.

“She usually leaves her purse on the pew,” said Gutierrez.

When she came back, the purse was gone. The family assumed someone turned it in because someone forgot it, but when the purse never showed up, Flores asked to see the Chruch’s security camera footage.

“I was able to go through all the cameras at church and see all the certain times and how exactly she did it,” said Flores.

The footage showed exactly who took Flores’ grandmother’s purse. After looking at the footage, the family called the Police and filed a police report. Gutierrez also gave thanks to St. Joseph’s pastor, Benito Rojas, for being instrumental in the installation of security cameras around the church.

Flores then went to social media post showing who took his grandmother’s purse at church. This post would accumulate over 600 shares on Facebook. Someone called Flores after seeing his post and said they saw the woman in his post at the Walmart on 29th Street.

Flores then went to Walmart to confront the lady who stole the purse. When he got there, he asked the lady why she did it, and she denied it. Flores called the Police on the lady for stealing his grandma’s purse.

Following the interaction, the San Angelo Police Department arrived and arrested Denise Riesgo on an unrelated theft warrant that had been issued in another county.

“I just wish that she had empathy and compassion for my mom, who’s an elderly person,” said Gutierrez. “I believe everybody’s human. If they make mistakes, you know, as long as they repent and do the right thing, I think everybody should be forgiven for any mistake that’s taken and given a second chance.”

The family stated that they were willing to forgo pressing charges if the alleged thief returned the purse and its contents, but so far, nothing has been returned.

The family has chosen not to pursue a GoFundMe account and shared the following statement:

“We are grateful for your concern and willingness to help. Our family will be covering the cost of replacing the lost items. We kindly ask that no donations be made to any GoFundMe accounts, as financial assistance is not needed. What we truly ask for is unity in prayer and a shared commitment to looking out for one another, especially our elderly, children, and the most vulnerable members of our communities.”

The theft of the purse remains under investigation.