Investigators recovered $770,000 worth of stolen Tiffany & Co. earrings last week after the man accused of swallowing the jewelry "expelled" it from his system, Florida police said.
Orlando police announced the recovery of the stolen jewelry from suspect Jaythan Gilder in a Facebook post on Friday.
“Detectives monitored Jaythan Gilder for more than a dozen days at the hospital before they were able to match the serial numbers on the jewelry with the items that were stolen from Tiffany & Co.,” the caption read.
In a video accompanying the post, Detectives Aaron Goss and Tiffany Perez shared details if the investigation.
“Later, after the diamonds were expelled from his system, we were able to bring them to Tiffany’s, where they were cleaned, and their master jeweler confirmed the inscription and serial numbers matched the stolen pieces,” Goss said.
Perez said: “I’m very proud of our team for all of our work. We acted quickly and diligently, working together tirelessly for days on end.”
The heist unfolded Feb. 26 at Tiffany & Co. in the Mall at Millenia, where he Gilder is alleged to have posed as a representative for an Orlando Magic basketball player.
He was escorted to a VIP room and presented with several luxury jewelry items, including a pair of 4.86-carat diamond earrings worth $160,000, a pair of 8.19-carat diamond earrings worth $609,000 and a 5.61-carat diamond ring worth $587,000, the court document said.
Authorities alleged Gilder tried to grab the jewelry and struggled with employees, ultimately dropping the ring. However, authorities say, he managed to swallow the diamonds before he was taken into custody.
A scan at the Washington County Jail revealed “foreign objects in his stomach,” according to the affidavit.
Police also noted that Gilder has a history of jewelry heists, having pulled off “a similar robbery” at a Tiffany & Co. in The Woodlands, Texas, in 2022. In addition, he has 48 outstanding warrants in Colorado.
Gilder is charged with grand theft and robbery with a mask.
He remained in custody in Orange County on Tuesday. It was not immediately clear whether he had legal representation.
