Florida family uses Apple AirTag to tracks down stolen luggage: report

A Miami family, during their vacation, faced unease when their luggage got stolen. However, with the help of Apple technology, they successfully retrieved the stolen items, as reported by the media.

“I wanted justice,” Catherine Gavino told to a local news outlet.

The weekend preceding Christmas, the Gavino family journeyed from Miami to the mountains of North Carolina. Upon their arrival at North Douglas International Airport on the afternoon of Friday, December 22, they discovered that one of their bags had not reached the destination.

In their quest for the missing bag, the Gavino family found no sign of it at the baggage claim, as per the reports. Fortunately, Gavino's recent purchase of an Apple AirTag simplified the search, allowing her to trace the lost luggage without enduring the airline's customer service queue.

Gavino had fortuitously acquired the small tracker just a day before their vacation and placed it in her parents' luggage on the morning of their flight as a precaution. Upon using her phone to track the luggage, it indicated movement on I-85, heading towards Gastonia.

Responding to the tracker's signal, the family gathered their other bags, obtained a rental car and followed the path indicated by the AirTag to a neighborhood. However, they faced difficulty in pinpointing the exact location as the AirTag ceased to provide information beyond a certain point.

Despite this limitation, Gavino mentioned that the AirTag consistently registered around Gastonia and South Carolina throughout the entire trip. Following the return of family members to the airport, a Christmas Day miracle unfolded when an address appeared as Gavino checked her AirTag once more. This time, it indicated a house in Gastonia, leading the family to follow the AirTag to that location.

Gavino promptly contacted the police and upon their arrival, authorities discovered the stolen luggage, along with an additional suitcase pilfered from another victim at the airport.

Interestingly, authorities informed Gavino that another person had reported a similar issue and had also utilized an AirTag, as relayed to the news outlet. Despite the recovery of her luggage, Gavino found that various items were missing.

The suspect now faces multiple charges, including theft and drug possession, as reported.