26-year-old Emily Cox has dedicated her life to music, playing the same violin for almost 11 years. The instrument, a $23,000 Caressa & Francais violin made in the 1920s is more than monetarily expensive, it holds sentimental value and it is her livelihood. Sadly, that violin was stolen from her last Tuesday at SF’s Conservatory of Music. As the Ex reports, a light-haired man wearing all black is suspected of getting through the Conservatory’s stringent security and stealing the violin while Cox had briefly left the room to check her email in the computer lab.
The thief also allegedly got away with Cox’s cellphone, which two other women noticed as he was fleeing the facility. The suspect made a strange comment to them, “You guys are pretty white-bread here, so no one’s going to take your stuff” while they were complaining about a missing phone. The statement sounded fishy, so one of the women pursued him.
The woman followed him to the Van Ness Muni, where he got on the T-Third, and eventually exited at Powell St. station. Muni surveillance shows the suspect, as you can see in the video above.
Special characteristics of the violin include a “gold shield” medallion on its tail piece with three silver strings on the left side of the instrument, and a gold fourth string on the right. An image of the back of the violin is available here.
“I have the resources of the FBI. I have the whole state of California, every law enforcement agency is going to get fliers on this case,” said SFPD Inspector Brian Danker told ABC7. “It’s going to be the public that going to give this guy up. This guy’s going to go.”
But even with those resources, Danker still seeks your, yes, your, help: if you have any tips on the crime, call him at (415) 615-3463 or the SFPD’s confidential tip line at (415) 575-4444.
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