Thieves made off with her Christmas presents.
The burglary victim is a single mother who works and goes to school full time. She scraped together money for her son's Christmas gifts, only to have them stolen, but that's when two Chicago Police officers opened their hearts and wallets.
A merry Christmas for Octavia Dunn and her 2-year-old son, John, nearly didn't happen.
"With so much evil that has happened just to me in the past, to see some officers do something out of the kindness of their heart that I never in a million years would have expected, I am eternally grateful and appreciative," Dunn said.
Earlier this month, Dunn's home in Gresham was burglarized, but before she could come to terms with that crime, it happened again, just days later.
"When it rains, it pours, so it definitely has been a really hard holiday season for me this year," she said.
Chicago Police officers Melissa Malm and Rockwell Del Mundo responded to the second burglary. Dunn, who works and goes to school, said the thieves had stolen money, electronics and other valuables, and had also taken Christmas toys for her son.
"When she pointed out that the gifts were under the Christmas tree were taken, she started to lose her composure and that ate both of us from inside," Del Mundo said.
The two officers decided to do something for the single mother and her son. With their own money, they bought toys for John.
"My mom was a single mom with not the best salary," Malm said. "She did the best she could and I was appreciative of everything she ever did."
"That act of kindness, I will forever remember that and forever be grateful that they were able to give my son a Christmas," said Dunn.
Both burglaries remain unsolved, but Dunn said that's for another day. For now, she is focused on celebrating what she does have this holiday.
