The police and the family believe that it was someone who knew that the teenager was in the hospital recovering from surgery:

Thieves in Vermont targeted the home of a young cancer patient while he was undergoing treatment in Boston.
[…]
Jeff Cota is currently recovering from surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. The 17-year-old high school basketball star has osteosarcoma — bone cancer in his leg.
[…]
Jeff’s sister, Katie Cota, discovered the crime when she came home from work on Sunday. His new XBox 360 and more than $1,000 worth of games and DVDs were missing from his room.
[…]
“They definitely knew that they were gone and that I was working. So, it’s someone that we know.”
Police said that they believe the suspects who broke into the Georgia, Vt., home had been in the home before and knew that Jeff had cancer and was in Boston getting treatment.

Some kids today have absolutely no sense of decency.
But humanity is not without hope:

Meanwhile, friends are pitching in, helping Jeff’s family pay bills.
“Every single team on our schedule has donated,” coach Chris Brown said.
When a local radio station shared Jeff’s story Thursday, it was swamped with callers making donations to help Jeff and replace his stolen property.
One listener purchased a new Xbox 360 for Jeff and dropped it off at the radio station.

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