LA BLANCA – A Hidalgo County family said their customized Dallas Cowboys barbecue pit was stolen from their backyard.

David Martinez said the incident happened at their La Blanca home Tuesday morning.

“It’s a customized BBQ pit. We had a customized logo on top of the BBQ and also on the smoker. It says Cowboys on both of them,” he said.

Martinez said his father-in-law was devastated when he discovered the property was gone. The BBQ pit was worth $3,000.

“Especially this playoff season, it’s the first time the Cowboys go to quarter finals or the playoffs in a very long time,” he said.

His father-in-law, who didn’t want to appear on camera, has lived in the area his entire life. The thief stole not only a BBQ pit but a family tradition. The family meets every Sunday of football season to watch the Cowboys team play.

Martinez said they ran to a neighbor’s home to check their surveillance cameras after they learned about the robbery.

“It’s my brother-in-law’s sister, actually she’s our neighbor. She has cameras surrounding her house so we went straight to the cameras,” he said.

Martinez said video surveillance captured the suspects and gateway vehicle. He said they filed a report with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office spokesperson, J.P. Rodriguez, said they have seen a rise in the number of these types of crime in the La Blanca area.

“In this particular area where the theft occurred, sometimes there is an increase in property crimes which includes theft and burglaries,” he said. “The best way to defeat that is by working together with the people we serve.”

Martinez said he found a piece of a taillight in his property. He said the suspects might have damaged their vehicle when they were loading the BBQ pit onto their truck.

“For us the big thing is they can come back. They were comfortable to do it, so who knows they can come back and do it again to the next neighbor and the one after that,” he said.

Hidalgo County authorities said the getaway vehicle was a teal covered Chevy truck.

Rodriguez said victims of theft should have a good description of their product so deputies can solve the case.  He said it also helps having a picture of the property.

Anyone with information on the case can contact the Hidalgo County Crime Stoppers at (956) 668-8477.