Valley woman with dream of opening business loses thousands after burglars ransack her home

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- "Why? why do this?" That's the question Yolanda Gonzales is asking after burglars ransacked her Squaw Valley home.

"It is heartbreaking," she said. "It is heartbreaking for somebody to just violate you like that and just take your stuff from all your hard work."

Kitchen appliances, dishware, employee uniforms, and other valuable items to be used for her business "Yummyz Street Treats" are now gone.

All of those items were stored in Gonzales' foothill home until they got closer to their grand opening at Manchester Mall.

That opening is now just hours away.

"Literally today (Tuesday) we just came back from purchasing some equipment that we need to service the public, so it is a challenge," Gonzales said. "It is really hard, heartbreaking and makes my eyes water because it is hard."

She says thieves made off with more than $25,000 worth of her and her family's stuff.

Her loss going even further when the thieves took boxes of clothing from her former boutique, a quad and even a trailer.

The most valuable items were pictures and keepsakes from deceased loved ones.

"And they are gone now. Most likely they are going to throw them away because they are things that they wouldn't want. they're things that are irreplaceable," she said.

Investigators with the Fresno County Sheriffs Office say more than one suspect, possibly gained access through an unlocked window.

They may have even stayed there for a few days.

Because the home is in a secluded area no one witnessed the break-in.

"Maybe the person just happened to go by and see them unloading all this stuff and storing it into the house that day and made a mental note and said okay, I'll come back and see if I can get that for myself," said Fresno County sheriff's public information officer, Tony Botti.

Gonzales, while heartbroken, won't let this setback stop her from opening her restaurant.

Still, she wants justice. She's offering a $5,000 reward for information on the suspect.

"I don't really have any words for them. Why? I really hope they do get caught," she said.

Gonzales says she plans on adding security cameras to her home.

She's also made her neighbors aware and they're now keeping a watchful eye.

The sheriff's department urges people to make sure their stuff is secure and to invest in alarms.