RIO GRANDE CITY – A man says lots of questions remain after a storage unit he rented in Rio Grande City was cleared out without notice.

Gonzalo Bazan says the unit he was paying for had several things of sentimental value. Bazan says he was sending checks for the last 10 years to cover the expense of the storage unit.

He says when he checked in on his storage unit about two weeks ago, odds and ends were all that was left behind of trophies, cookware, an antique sewing machine and other possessions.

Bazan says he was stunned upon finding it was all missing.

"All my stuff is gone. So, right away it hit me. Something is amiss here,” he tells us.

Bazan tells us he sent checks to a P.O. Box address right up to the last month.

CHANNEL 5 NEWS spoke to the property owner who tells us they haven't received payments in the last couple of years. 

Owner Dennis Owens says he lives outside of the Rio Grande Valley. He tells us the storage unit business changed hands several times. 

He explains they had not received payment in several years.

We asked Bazan to check his statements – but he couldn't find the last time his checks were cashed.

"They used to send a statement, but I cannot say when they stopped,” he says.

According to the property owner, there were several break-ins at the units. He says a person was even caught living there.

Bazan says he was unaware of the incidents but he had noticed the mess.

"I feel like somebody would just come in and dump stuff,” he says.

After dealing with these types of incidents, the property owner decided to clear everything out including Bazan's unit. Owens says they were unaware he was still entrusting his possessions to them.

"I know that I may not get anything back, but it's the principle of the thing. Why was I not informed? That's what gets me,” Bazan says.

He can't give us an estimate of how much the items stored were worth. He says it was more sentimental in nature.

The property owner said those who agreed to pay for a unit signed an agreement releasing them of liability for lost or stolen property.

Bazan confirmed he didn't have insurance for his property.