Wareham Police are searching for the owners of jewelry that they suspect may have been stolen from homes in the Shangri-La and White Island neighborhoods.

The jewelry was discovered following an investigation into house break-ins in the areas, according to a statement from the Police Department.

According to the statement, police have identified a suspect who they believe enters homes and steals only one or two pieces of jewelry from a jewelry box or takes a small electronic item without disturbing the rest of the house.

Officials say homeowners may not realize their home has been broken into immediately.

In one instance, police said the alleged thief removed a loose screen and entered a residence through an unlocked window. He then stole one or two pieces of jewelry from a jewelry box, leaving other pieces in place. He left through the same window, closed it, and put the screen back in place.

The resident of the home was looking for a certain piece of jewelry, discovered it was missing, and then noticed that the screen was installed upside down, according to police. The resident contacted police and detectives were able to recover the missing jewelry, police said.

Police are asking residents of Shangri-La and White Island to report any suspicious activity they may have noticed in and around their residences since the beginning of June.

If you have valuables missing and believe you are the victim of a break-in, call Wareham Police at 508-295-1212 and file a report.