Police say housekeeper stole jewelry from woman in Naples senior community

A senior was targeted by her housekeeper who police say took thousands of dollar’s worth of her jewelry right from under her nose.

Moorings Park senior community in Naples terminated Marta Zelaya, 51, in December 2020 after investigators say she tried to cover up the theft she is accused of.

Wednesday, Naples Police Department arrested Zelaya for charges of dealing in stolen property, theft and exploitation of the elderly.

NPD says Zelaya put costume jewelry in place of the real jewelry, so the victim wouldn’t notice. Eventually she noticed thousands of dollars in jewelry was gone. Police were able to track Zelaya down and found out she was a regular at a pawn shop.

“I wouldn’t want to see any of my own family members for that to happen,” said Deborah Oprandy of Collier County.

Oprandy has a father in assisted living and feels for the victim and their family.

“You feel vulnerable too because you’re leaving them in someone else’s care,” Oprandy said.

According to the arrest report, between Dec. 5 and 19, a housekeeper, was stealing precious jewelry made with real blue sapphires, diamonds and emeralds from a woman while she was cleaning their room.

To deceive them, Zelaya put fake jewelry in its place.

“That’s, like, such a disgrace, because the elderly are so vulnerable,” Oprandy said.

Luckily, officers were looking in databases and found some of the items that were sold at the First pawn Jewelry and Loan Shop. That’s where Zelaya made 27 different transactions and sold 68 pieces of jewelry.

We reached out to Moorings Park for comment, and the community has not responded to us.

Dr. Jaclynn Faffer of Naples Senior Center says having conversations with your loved ones about their valuables is key.

“Even the best facilities, things happen. You can’t have your eye at what’s going on 24/7,” Faffer said. “The most important thing you can do is have the person understand, if they have a large number of valuables, they really shouldn’t be keeping them there.”