Photographer loses all her gear and newlyweds left without photos after car break-in

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- (WDAF) -- Tears of joy turned to tears of sadness for one metro bride, and a local photographer is unable to work after all her gear was stolen — including a hard drive with wedding photos on it.

“I was at a friend's apartment, and I walked out the next morning, got in my car and noticed that my console was wide open,” said 22-year-old Caroline Fiss.

Fiss parked her car overnight Saturday into Sunday at 48th and Oak in South Plaza area.

“The window was completely shattered; I looked down, noticed my camera bags not there, then I see all the shattered glass. I look underneath my front seat where I put my laptop, so my laptop and my external hard drive were all taken, along with all the camera equipment I own,” Fiss explained.

Everything had been rummaged through. The back passenger side window was busted out. The total loss?

“It has to be at least fifteen grand,” Fiss estimated.

But besides the monetary value, there was something taken that simply cannot be replaced.

“I started screaming bloody murder. The first thing I thought about was the wedding,” Fiss recalled.

Her hard drive with all her work — including a senior project due Wednesday, and photos she took at a recent wedding -- gone.

“My heart just fell into my stomach and I was hysterical,” she said.