When Sharon Crane's 2015 Hyundai Sonata vanished from her Ferndale driveway on Sept. 14, 2025, she reported the theft and figured the car was gone for good. Months later, she learned Detroit police had actually recovered the vehicle the same day it disappeared. She says no one told her for roughly six months, by which time her insurer had paid a settlement and the car was headed for auction.
Crane said surveillance footage shows someone pull up and take the car in a matter of seconds, and Ferndale police took a report the day of the theft. As reported by WXYZ, Crane reviewed a Detroit Police Department investigative report that lists the Sonata as recovered that same day in the 19000 block of Griggs Avenue near Seven Mile Road and brought to a DPD impound lot. "Why did it take six months to let me know?" she asked, noting her insurer paid an $8,900 claim in October and the company now plans to sell the vehicle at auction.
Police Say They Are Reviewing What Happened
In a statement to WXYZ, the Detroit Police Department said systems and processes are in place to notify owners when vehicles are recovered and that the department is looking into how this recovery and notification were handled. The statement did not explain why the owner was not notified sooner or which office processed the impound paperwork.
Delayed Notifications Are Not New
This kind of delayed-notification complaint has surfaced before in Detroit, where local journalists have documented recoveries sitting in impound for months before owners were told. FOX2 Detroit examined the issue in 2019, and national automotive reporting, including coverage that cites NICB data, shows most stolen cars are eventually recovered but a substantial share are found damaged or stripped, which can complicate recovery and restitution for owners. See reporting from Motor1 for background.
What Stolen-Car Owners Can Do
If you suspect a stolen vehicle you reported has been recovered, contact your insurer and the law-enforcement agency that handled the recovery to get the case number, impound location and an inventory of any personal items. Keep copies of your original report and any correspondence, and ask whether the insurer took title, since that will determine whether the car is slated for auction or can be returned to you. Local advocates and reporters say persistence and records requests can make a difference when recoveries sit in impound.
