Memories Stolen From Sister of U.S. Marine Killed in Crash

U.S. Marine Justin Dorson, 26, was killed in a motorcycle crash on Nov. 1, 2015, as he rode his "dream bike" in east San Diego

A San Diego woman dealing with the death of her brother, U.S. Marine killed in a motorcycle crash, is now feeling even more pain after some of her final memories of her late loved one were recently stolen.

Justin Dorson, 26, was killed on Nov. 1 after he crashed his 2012 Triumph motorcycle into a large boulder on State Route 94, outside Dulzura, in San Diego’s East County.

The Marine left behind two sons and another child on the way, his pregnant wife told NBC 7 days after the deadly accident.

On Saturday, NBC 7 spoke with Dorson’s sister, Sabrina Dorson, who said her car was stolen Friday night outside the family’s home on Connoley Circle in Chula Vista.

The worst part: Sabrina said her car was filled with broken pieces from her late brother’s motorcycle – pieces from the crash scene that the family had made a point to save as the final memories of Dorson.

“I have no car, glass on the ground, but no car,” Sabrina said. “We don’t know where [the motorcycle parts] are and it’s heartbreaking, because it’s all I had.”

Sabrina said her family is now pleading with the thief to return the parts – the memories that mean so much to them.

“That was my brother in that car,” said Sabrina. “Those bike pieces, that’s a part of my brother and that’s all I want back.”

Sabrina said her brother was known to spend hours in the family’s garage, working on what his family calls his “dream bike” – the same motorcycle involved in the fatal collision.

“This is where my brother was who he was – in this garage,” said Sabrina, walking through the space.

Staring around that garage, she said it’s impossible for her not to think about her brother.

“This is where he always was,” she recalled.

While the broken motorcycle parts may mean nothing to the person who stole Sabrina’s car, they are everything to her family.

“Throwing away those bike pieces is like throwing away my brother – throwing away his legacy,” she explained. “And he loved that bike. He named it ‘Leila.’ So I couldn’t get rid of Leila. I couldn’t do that to him. I couldn’t see those bike pieces leave.”

The theft on the heels of Dorson’s death has left Sabrina with a heavy heart.

“I just lost him,” she lamented. “I shouldn’t have to be going through this after saying my final goodbyes to my brother. This is really crappy.”

Dorson was a Camp Pendleton-based heavy machinery mechanic. His wife is a Navy service member. Following the tragic accident, friends of Dorson’s family set up a GoFundMe page in his name to help his family with funeral and childcare costs.
 

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