ATHENS, Ga. — Two recent burglaries may be related to an ongoing statewide string of burglaries targeting Asian families, particularly business owners, Lt. Patrick Whitmore said Monday.

The Athens-Clarke County Police Department suspects that burglars stole thousands of dollars of jewelry and gold from two Asian families on September 7 and 2nd, according to incident reports.

Lt. Whitmore, the lead investigator, said they’ve been tracking these suspects for about a year.

“I hate to give them credit for being professional, but they are,” said Whitmore.

The suspects haven’t left behind any key evidence — apart from a partial fingerprint at a recent crime scene — which makes it difficult to track down the suspects.

What the police do see, though, is a pattern: Asian families, usually business owners, are the target, and the burglars only take gold and jewelry — they leave behind expensive televisions and laptops.

Whitmore wouldn’t say why that’s significant to him because he doesn’t want to tip off the suspects.

ACC Police are also reaching out to other departments around the state to see if the burglaries in Athens could be related to similar crimes across the state targeting Asian families.

By: Dillon Richards

Follow this story on Twitter @GradyNewsource.