With all empathy due the victim, some of this doesn't make sense. "She suspects she didn't lock the front door where investigators found pry marks, which is a sign that whoever burglarized the residence may have used force to gain entry" -- if the door was unlocked, there was no need to use force to gain entry. Our Palo Alto elders are too often preyed upon here. Automatic locks aren't the best solution, either. I've locked myself out more than once. Hope there is some local webcam footage to find the crooks.

If she went to bed at 10 p.m. and woke up at 8 a.m., how does she know it happened overnight? It could've happened early in the morning. Burglaries rarely happen in the middle of the night.

If they used force to gain entry it sounds like the front door was locked.

@MyFeelz - I would guess that not every burglar is a pro or as conscientious as you and might have just tried the pry before checking to see if the door was even locked or not

@Jennifer - “overnight” is commonly used to refer to a time period that includes both late night and early morning, usually consisting of the duration of slightly after sunset until slightly before sunrise

Who was the houseguest??

So odd that residents dont have a security system in place. Million dollar properties but know alarm systems. I turn mine on before bedtime. Like brushing my teeth. I never forget to turn it on.