Friend accused of pawning hospitalized woman's gold bracelets worth $5,000

A friendship of about 20 years ended in a paper trail of pawn forms, photo matches and a police arrest after an 87-year-old woman said her gold bracelets vanished while she was in the hospital. Miami police arrested Zonia Beatriz Reategui, 76, a North Miami Beach resident, on charges including dealing in stolen property, grand theft and false verification of ownership tied to jewelry valued at more than $300.

The victim said Reategui had long been her ride to medical appointments because she could not drive. On Dec. 9, 2025, Reategui drove her to the University of Miami Hospital for treatment related to a foot condition, and, before the woman was admitted, offered to keep the bracelets for safekeeping. Police later said one bracelet was pawned that same day and another was pawned on Dec. 20, 2025.

The missing pieces were not ordinary chains. Investigators said the jewelry included a 14K gold bracelet with eight charms and an 18K gold bracelet with five charms, the kind of personalized design that becomes easier to trace when it is photographed properly. The victim estimated the pair was worth about $5,000. Police said the bracelets were later recovered at a Miami pawn/jewelry shop after officers matched them through photos and the unique charm configurations, and records and pawn forms reportedly showed each piece was pawned for $500.

Reategui allegedly gave the victim several explanations before, according to investigators, telling her the jewelry had been stolen from her home and asking her not to tell family members. Police also said she claimed at one point that she was traveling to Peru. Reategui later confessed to detectives that she pawned the bracelets and never retrieved them, according to the reports.

The case is a hard lesson in how quickly heirlooms can disappear during a hospital stay. Gold bracelets, especially charm bracelets with distinct attachments, are only as protected as the records kept for them. A dated home inventory, clear photographs of each piece, notes on karat weight and charm count, and copies of insurance documents can make the difference between a vague memory and an item police can identify in a pawn database.

Families who rely on one helper for rides to appointments should make the handling of jewelry explicit before any emergency. Place valuable pieces in a locked safe or secure deposit box, record who has access, and keep the photographs and receipts close to the insurance file. When a bracelet can be turned into $500 at a pawn counter, the best defense is the kind of documentation that follows it everywhere.