TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A Japanese Kei truck is at the center of an arson investigation in Vail.
For Lisa McCullough, Tuesday morning started like any other. When her small truck was gone, she says theft wasn’t her first thought.
“That wasn’t even a thought that someone would actually steal it, it was, did it get towed? What happened?” McCullough says.
As she called the Tucson Police Department to report the truck missing, officers were already trying to reach her. Police had responded to a vehicle fire Tuesday morning and located the truck a little more than a mile from where it had been parked near the McCulloughs’ business.
“I thought, wow, someone stole it and then he sent us pictures of what they had actually done to it, so there was no getting it back. It was, it was done,” she says.
McCullough explains how the truck was also not a typical vehicle, “you sit on the right hand side, it's a stick shift, so you're shifting with your left hand. And not only that, like it's really small.”
The McCulloughs own a chiropractic and weight loss clinic with two different locations in Tucson. They say they purchased the Kei truck not just for themselves, but as something fun for their patients and neighbors. The truck, which had only been theirs for a little over two months, was hard to miss, with a 12-foot skeleton welded onto it.
“We wanted to find something fun and light and bring joy to that emotional pain that we discovered quickly people have when they come in you know with back pain,” McCullough explains.
After the truck was stolen, McCullough turned to Facebook, hoping someone might have seen something. Her post quickly filled with messages from neighbors sharing memories, condolences and how much the truck had meant to them.
“They were so sweet… in sharing how it brought them joy, and that was, that’s pretty cool,” McCullough says.
While the loss is still fresh, McCullough says the community’s response has helped her and her husband begin to move forward.
“Oh, I wish I could have my little truck back. But, you know, you carry on,” she says.
TPD says the case remains an active investigation, and because of that, they did not give KGUN 9 permission to air photos of the truck they recovered. Under Arizona law, arson is defined as knowingly and unlawfully damaging property by intentionally causing a fire or explosion.
“In the grand scheme of life and things, there's a lot bigger problems," McCullough explains, "we hope that there's good that comes from it, because we got to see what it meant to people which was just bringing joy.”
Anybody with information is encouraged to contact TPD.
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Athena Kehoe is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2024 after graduating from Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Athena by emailing athena.kehoe@kgun9.com or by connecting on X/Twitter.
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