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Packed trailer stolen, family loses everything after cross-country move to Knoxville

"It's the same as if your house were to burn down and all your belongings were gone."

KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Some of Knoxville's newest residents just moved back to the area from Oregon last week.

Angela Vennum, her fiance Calvin Hickey Jr. and their 5-year-old daughter Khepria packed everything they owned into a 24-foot Nash travel trailer and hauled it across the country.

They kept it on empty property in west Knox County owned by Hickey's family.

Vennum went to get some cat food from the camper and instead found an empty lot.

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"Just seeing a blank empty spot where it was just made me absolutely speechless," she said.

It wasn't the welcome they were expecting to East Tennessee.

"All the Christmas presents and stuff [Khepria] got for Christmas, everything's gone," said Hickey.

Inside the camper were some irreplaceable items.

Credit: WBIR

"Stuff we had from family members passing away," said Hickey.

"Everything he had that belonged to his father was in there," said Vennum.

Special items and literally everything else they had.

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"All of our clothing and all of our belongings. TVs, Xboxes, stereo system, you name it," said Vennum.

They were planning to live in the camper until they found a house.

"There was a mini bathroom, there was a mini bed, my Spongebob bed was in there," said Khepria.

They are able to stay with family until things are figured out.

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"Thank the Lord it is a nonviolent crime," said Vennum. "We have our health, we have our well being and our cat so I'm trying to just stay positive."

Khepria has a message for whoever took her camper

"I wanna say, 'Back off. Never steal my camper again,'" she said.

Hickey reported the trailer stolen to authorities.

If you've seen it, call the Knox County Sheriff's Office non-emergency line at 865-215-2444.

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