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In a theft case that evolved into a prolonged observation for investigators, the Orlando Police Department in the United States successfully retrieved two pairs of earrings valued at $769,500 (£597,000) from a Florida man, two weeks after he reportedly stole and ingested the jewelry.
According to a post by the police department on X, the suspect, 32-year-old Jaythan Gilder from Florida, was hospitalized where detectives kept a close watch on him for nearly two weeks until the earrings, taken from a Tiffany & Co store in Orlando on February 26, were expelled from his body.
The police department expressed appreciation for their detectives in the Violent Crimes Unit, stating, “After an extensive and challenging investigation concerning the stolen jewelry, they managed to recover earrings worth over $769,000 that the suspect had swallowed. Detectives monitored Jaythan Gilder for more than twelve days in the hospital before successfully matching the serial numbers on the jewelry with those of the items stolen from Tiffany & Co.”
The individual in question is charged with robbery while wearing a mask and first-degree grand theft, currently held at the Orange County Jail.
Gilder allegedly impersonated an assistant to a National Basketball Association (NBA) player to gain entry into a VIP area at the Tiffany store, where he was presented with luxury jewelry. He is accused of diverting the attention of store staff before making off with two pairs of earrings. During his escape, he reportedly dropped a diamond ring valued at $587,000.
Later that same day, law enforcement apprehended Gilder and allegedly observed him ingesting several items believed to be the stolen earrings. The police later released an X-ray image revealing a foreign object within Gilder’s abdomen.
“This case quickly turned into a marathon, not a sprint,” remarked Detective Aaron Goss. He noted that the earrings were returned to the Tiffany store, where staff cleaned them.
“Upon their return, the store’s master jeweler confirmed that the serial numbers corresponded with those of the stolen items,” he added.
Media reports indicate that Gilder has a criminal record that includes a robbery at a Tiffany store in Texas in 2022, along with 48 outstanding warrants for his arrest in Colorado.
