BATON ROUGE - A mother-daughter duo did some detective work after their car was stolen in Zachary.

The theft happened early Monday morning at an apartment complex on Old Scenic Highway.

It turned into a full-on investigation for Felicia Samuel.

"I was already up and getting ready for work. I walked out here 14 minutes later and my car was gone," said Samuel.

Surveillance video showed a white SUV pull up in front of Samuel's apartment complex.

One man gets out, jumps the gate, and later takes off in her Honda Civic.

"It was locked, the alarm was set, and he used a relay switch or something because he just got in it like I would and took off," said Samuel.

Zachary police say the white SUV was reported stolen, too.

Ironically, Samuel found its owner while reporting her stolen car to police.
They began searching for the cars using a GPS tracking device.

"She said the GPS had her car near Flanacher and Samuels Road. When I left the police department, I told them I'm going in that location to look for my car," said Samuel.

Samuel tracked down both stolen vehicles and called police.

"My daughter and I rode around for 45 minutes. We went down a dirt road, and off to the right I could see my car," said Samuel.

Zachary Police are now warning others not to take matters into their own hands.

"Let law enforcement handle it. That's what we're trained to do. Give us a call and we'll be there," said Chief David McDavid.

However, Samuel says that it feels good to take back what's hers.

"I just felt violated because it's something I treasure and I take good care of it," she said.

Zachary police are still investigating the theft. So far, no arrests have been made.