A California woman was left heartbroken after her carry-on backpack containing nearly $40,000 worth of heirloom jewelry disappeared during a Southwest Airlines flight to the Bay Area in mid-August.

Stephanie Arrues said she was traveling to attend her niece's wedding in Hawaii when the theft occurred on a connecting flight that landed in Oakland.

What she lost goes far beyond monetary value the stolen jewelry included irreplaceable family heirlooms from her deceased loved ones.

"I was bawling. I felt violated. Someone had taken a piece of me," Arrues said.

The incident began when Arrues, who was recovering from an arm injury, asked a flight attendant to help place her black backpack in the overhead bin after boarding the Southwest flight. She had secured a first-row seat but was told t

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