Strength and determination emanated through Jack and Crissy Holland Daughtry’s eyes as the Greenville couple recounted how their kids’ Christmas was stolen from them earlier this week.

On Sunday night — while Crissy and Jack were in Birmingham because one of their son’s was having surgery — presents worth $600, weights worth $2,000 and a torpedo heater were stolen from the shop behind Daughtry Engineering on Oliver Street.

“We’re in a good place,” Crissy said about living in Greenville. “It’s just sad it happens like this. We hope that they’re (the suspects) found. We would do anything to find them and we are going to press charges regardless of whoever it is. To have it taken from you so close to Christmas, what do you do? It’s heart breaking.”

Crissy said that according to a friend on Facebook, they saw a dark car back into one of the loading bays at the shop at around 5:50 p.m. on Sunday.

The Daughtrys — who have three sons and one daughter — have a feeling they know who the perpetrator is, but the puzzling thing is, is that it could’ve been somebody who knew that the shop catered to local kids who were looking to get in better shape or it was somebody who met them as they hid the presents at the shop last Saturday.

Jack is a personal trainer and helps local kids get in shape using a weight program.

“He (Jack) goes and works out up there,” Crissy said. “Our sons go up there and work out. It’s just fun that he just lets young kids work out.

“He called me around 6:15 and 6:30 (Sunday night) and said, ‘you’re not going to believe this, but one of the weight-lifting bars was gone,’ and then he said one of the 35-pound or 45-pound weights were gone, along with every Christmas gift we got is gone.

“How can you lay your head down knowing that you took a child’s Christmas and not have a care in the world about it? If it is someone we knew, they know the fund was started and they know we know it was taken. They just don’t care.”

Luckily for the couple — who don’t have much money and paid for the gifts through layaway — a friend set up a GoFundMe account on www.gofundme.com.

As of Thursday night, the couple has raised $1,555 of the $500 goal that was set.

“When you’re literally negative in one checking account and have $5 in another checking account, that’s a blessing more than you can ever ask for,” Crissy said. “Of course, it wouldn’t replace (their gifts). Weight lifting is his (Jack’s) life. He enjoys doing that. He would put that (making sure his kids get gifts for Christmas) in front of our kids than himself.”

Added Jack, “Everybody who comes over there contributes. So, it wasn’t just my stuff.”

Crissy said Jack lets a few players from the Greenville High School football team come and work out to keep in shape for their football scholarships in college.

“They’re great kids,” she said. “They’re actually having a good time and are off the street.”

The most recent theft wasn’t the first at the shop. Two years ago, items were stolen that were later found by Jack at a pawn shop.

Crissy and Jack didn’t realize it because there was so much stuff in the space.

“I saw the kids’ bikes in the pawn shop, too,” Jack said about the theft two years ago.

Added Crissy, “It could’ve been some guy for all we know that could be out of jail and it could be him again. It’s just heart breaking.”

The Daughtries haven’t received any money from the GoFundMe campaign, yet, and said they’ve learned a lot from this experience.

“Lock the doors,” Jack said.

More importantly, Crissy said they should’ve kept the gifts on layaway.

“It was like a punch in the stomach,” Crissy said when she found out. “When he told me, I couldn’t breathe. I honestly was waiting on him to tell me that it was a joke. He’s always doing things like that.”

Making sure your home or business is locked up tight isn’t a joking matter, Greenville Police Chief Lonzo Ingram said.

“If you have a security system, be sure to set your security system anytime you leave your home,” Ingram said. “If you’re going to be gone during this time of year, either on vacation or out of town, you need to notify the police department so we can put your home on a house-watch list so we can watch your home while you’re gone.”

GPD Det. Kenneth Hadley said the department is still investigating the case involving the theft of the Daughtry’s Christmas gifts.

To donate to the Daughtry’s GoFundMe campaign, visit the GoFundMe web page and search for “Chrissy holland kids Christmas.”