Woman arrested for moving in to snowbird’s home in Naples

NAPLES, Fla. – An unwanted house guest was caught making herself at home in a Naples community.

Someone checking up on a snowbird’s house came back to find a car missing and the doors wide open.

Some neighbors tell WINK News they saw her walking around the neighborhood just days before she got caught.

Not much gets by Susan Stein’s dog, Lokee, so when Tammy Cancelosa opened up her gate, she didn’t get far before Stein came to the door.

“The woman said, ‘oh I just came by, I followed some man in,'” Stein said.

At first, she and a friend thought maybe the woman was just lost. But on Thursday, another woman who was asked to check on her neighbor’s house, found evidence that someone had been living in the home while the owners were out of state.

“She said, ‘my God the car’s missing, the doors are open, there are clothes all over the house,’ and so she called the police,” Stein said.

According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office report, wine bottles and paperwork were strewn about the counter top, trash against the cabinet, and Dr. Seuss books on a desk.

During the deputy’s investigation, Cancelosa walked up one of the driveways right in front of them.

“She didn’t seemed frightened. I mean she stole this car, there’s a policeman standing on the driveway where the car belongs and she rolls up and comes out of the car,” Stein explained. “And they say, ‘where did you get the key?’ and she said, ‘oh the owner of the house wanted me to house sit.'”

Adding an even stranger twist to the story, WINK News interviewed Cancelosa earlier this month for a different story when her guest house caught fire.

Neighbors in this snowbird community say they’ll be on edge, at least for awhile.
“It’s very threatening that anybody could walk right across the bridge and be in your backyard.”

It is believed Cancelosa had been living in the home for about four or five days. She has been charged with grand theft auto and burglary.