KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
June 1, 2020
By Jennifer Miko
This weekend, Brandy Araujo, Katy, received upsetting news. Her late husband’s pickup truck was stolen from the parking lot of the Lowe's at Fry Road and I-10. The truck represents so many memories that she hopes can be replaced.
Around 8a.m. on Friday, Brandy Araujo’s father, Terry Reeves, went into the Lowe's at Fry Road and I-10. When he came out to the parking lot, the 4-door crew cab, red Chevrolet Silverado was gone. He called the police and contacted the store management. Surveillance footage from one of the Lowe's parking lot cameras captured the crime.
Terry Reeves was not shown the footage of the theft, but learned that in about 60 seconds, the thieves hot-wired the truck and one of the suspects drove off in a white sedan. Terry filed a police report with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. He was upset because the truck was a connection between him and his late son-in-law Tommy.
The Truck’s Sentimental Journey
Brandy met Tommy Lozano while they were both working at the Cinemark in Katy. She was 17 and attending Katy High School, he was 19 and a graduate of Mayde Creek High School. The couple married in June of 2007.
Brandy said neither of them came from a lot of money, and the decision to buy a truck was a status symbol. In 2008, they purchased the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado Z71, and it took five years for them to pay off the note.
“Tommy was super proud to have the means and the job to be able to buy a truck,” says Brandy. “I never felt safer than when he was driving it.”
In 2010, the couple welcomed their daughter Alexis. The truck became their family go-to vehicle, and they would load it up for special trips to the beach.
Brandy said Tommy took a lot of pride in the truck, keeping it clean and nice. The one exception is a small dent that’s still in the back fender, which she said they didn’t have the money to fix.
“The truck was his little pride and joy, and he wanted to fix it up and paint it Superman blue,” says Brandy. “He had all these dreams for it.”
Living with Health Issues
Tommy was born with a congenital heart disease and had his first heart surgery at one-month old. At 21, he had a pacemaker installed, and seven years later needed surgery to replace its battery. Over the years, he was also diagnosed with stage 4 cirrhosis of the liver and had hepatitis C from an earlier blood transfusion. When he was in his late 20s, doctors put Tommy on the transplant lists for a liver and a new heart.
In February of 2013, the couple welcomed their son Jesse, and they paid off the Silverado that spring.
In April, Tommy’s health began to decline. By this time, he had been on the transplants lists for two-and-a-half years.
Tommy arranged to get a check-up and told Brandy he didn’t think he’d be coming right home. Brandy remembers him taking the truck in for service before going to the doctor’s office. She said he was being thoughtful and wanted his family taken care of, since Brandy was busy with a toddler and an infant.
At the hospital, Tommy went into cardiac arrest. The doctors said he would need to get a transplant by the end of the week. Sadly, Tommy passed away five days later, before they could perform the transplants. He was 30 years old.
Keeping the Memory Alive
Brandy asked her father to take Tommy’s truck. She wanted him to keep it running and save it for their son to eventually drive.
“When Jesse is old enough, we can teach him how to work on it, and that can be his first car,” says Brandy. “The truck can be a piece of his biological father to hold onto.”
Terry didn’t change a single thing in the truck.
“He left everything in the truck that was Tommy’s, including the silver Superman “S” hanging in the rearview mirror.”
Brandy hopes the police can recover the stolen truck and return a part of her late husband that has incredible sentimental value.
“The truck isn’t worth a whole lot, but when it comes to memories, it’s priceless and you can’t replace that,” says Brandy. “It means a lot to me and my family and we really want it back."
Contact the Authorities with Information
If you have any information about the stolen pick-up truck, contact the Houston Crime Stoppers via their website here or call 713-221-TIPS.
Crime Stoppers of Houston is a non-profit organization designed to empower local members of the community, equipping them with the resources needed to promote safety and crime prevention throughout all of Harris County.