Tewksbury Police are asking for the public's help identifying a woman suspected of stealing a package from 1 Ames Hill Drive, the address of the sprawling Lodge at Ames Pond apartment complex. Investigators believe the woman may actually live at the property, according to the department's Wednesday appeal, which included a photo of the person they are trying to identify.
Police Say Suspect May Be a Neighbor
The bulletin, posted as part of a recurring feature called Wanted Wednesday by the Tewksbury Police Department, asks anyone who recognizes the woman pictured to call the investigating officer at 978-640-4385. Callers may request anonymity, and the department is asking the public to refrain from posting names in the comments of the social media post itself. Anyone with information can also reach detectives through the department's anonymous tip line at 978-851-0175 or by emailing [email protected], according to the Tewksbury Police Department.
The Lodge at Ames Pond, where the theft was reported, is a 273-unit residential rental community spanning 54 acres near Interstate 495, per Housing Navigator MA. The complex's multi-building layout means dozens of residents share common delivery areas, and listings show the property offers 24-hour package pickup services along with detached garages for its one-, two-, and three-bedroom units. It remains unknown whether that dedicated pickup system was bypassed in this case, or what the stolen package contained.
Why Apartment Complexes Are Prime Targets
The Ames Hill Drive case fits a pattern documented nationally. Residents of apartment complexes and condominiums are more than three times as likely to experience package theft as those in single-family homes, according to a November 2025 study from Security.org, since shared entrances and high delivery volumes give would-be thieves easier access to uncollected parcels. In Massachusetts specifically, roughly 3 percent of residents experience at least one package theft every three months, with stolen parcels carrying a median value of $50 in 2024, per data compiled by Capital One Shopping.
Despite how common the crime is, most cases never reach police. Fewer than 25 percent of package theft victims nationwide report the incident to local law enforcement, the same Security.org research found, with many victims instead seeking refunds directly from retailers or delivery services. That makes public identification appeals like this one a critical tool for departments trying to build cases when video or photo evidence exists.
What Charges Could Follow
The value of the missing package will likely determine what the woman faces if identified and charged. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 266, Section 30, stealing property valued at $1,200 or less is charged as misdemeanor larceny, punishable by up to a year in jail and fines as high as $1,500, while theft exceeding that threshold becomes a felony punishable by up to five years in state prison, according to the 194th General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. If she is found to have entered the property without permission, unlawfully entering or remaining on private residential grounds also constitutes misdemeanor criminal trespass under Chapter 266, Section 120, per a legal overview from the Law Offices of Stephen Neyman, which notes trespassing charges are often combined with larceny counts in residential theft investigations.
Regional precedent shows how these cases sometimes get solved. In December 2025, police in Norfolk, Massachusetts arrested a suspect for porch piracy after a resident's doorbell video identified the person stealing a parcel, illustrating how local departments increasingly lean on resident-submitted footage to crack suburban theft cases. It is not yet known whether security camera or doorbell footage helped generate the image Tewksbury Police released Wednesday.
The Tewksbury Police Department operates out of headquarters at 918 Main Street under Chief of Police Ryan M. Columbus and comprises 67 sworn officers. Anyone who can identify the woman pictured is urged to call the investigating officer directly, and the department has emphasized that tipsters may remain anonymous.
