UPDATE 9:20 a.m. Friday: Police have determined that the woman sought in this case arrived at Planet Fitness wearing a black tank top and gray shorts. Once inside, she changed into black leggings.
READ: Crimestoppers seeks tips about theft of vehicle from gym
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By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post
A car reported stolen in south Salina on Monday afternoon was recovered in Manhattan on Tuesday morning.
Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester said this morning that a 20-year-old Salina woman went to Planet Fitness, 2012 S. Ohio Street, Monday afternoon and put the keys to her 2017 Kia Forte in a locker in the women's locker room. When she finished working out, she found that the keys and her car were gone.
Inside the car were the woman's purse, and camping gear including a tent, a cooler, and sleeping bags. Additionally, a friend's keys also were in the vehicle, Forrester said. Total loss was estimated at $19,240.
Surveillance video from the parking lot showed a woman described as being 5'-6" with brown hair and wearing a black tank top and black leggings get out of a silver Honda Civic that possibly was driven by a white male, Forrester said. The woman later was seen on surveillance video driving away in the Forte at approximately 4 p.m. Monday.
As the owner of the car was talking with police, she received a fraud notification from her bank that someone was using her financial card at Target in Salina. Surveillance video from Target showed the same woman as was in the surveillance video from Planet Fitness, Forrester said.
Additionally, an app on the Forte owner's cellphone allowed her to ping the car's location. The first ping showed the car was in Junction City. A later ping showed that the car was at a Starbucks in Manhattan. Forrester said the Riley County Police Department was notified that the stolen car was in Manhattan.
Tuesday morning, the Salina Police Department was notified by the Riley County Police Department that the stolen Forte had been found unoccupied, Forrester said. It was not damaged.