Shortly after arriving home on Sunday, a Raymond couple discovered that someone had broken into the house and stolen nine assorted rifles and shotguns.

Deputy Jen Gage of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office responded to the call from Daniel and Angela Abbatiello on Webbs Mills Road shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday.

All the windows in the home were locked but the intruder kicked in a basement window to gain entry, said Angela Abbatiello. After breaking into the gun safe, the intruder made off with a collection of older firearms she had inherited from her father.

According to Capt. William Rhoads of the Sheriff’s Office, the perpetrator was cut by glass from the broken window and a forensic investigation unit was called to the scene to collect samples of the burglar’s blood, as well as hair and clothing fibers.

This evidence will be entered into CODIS (Combined DNA Index System), an electronic database used by the State Police Crime Lab that matches DNA profiles with evidence to identify suspects. Used by all 50 states, the Index System works much like the program that matches fingerprints.

Time of the intrusion was narrowed down to between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. said Rhoads. Although two deputies canvassed the Webbs Mills neighborhood on Monday, no one had noticed anything unusual.

Even the neighbors’ dogs had not been alerted by the incident, said Abbatiello, whose husband is pastor of Windham Assembly of God. She also said she and her husband forgive whoever was involved.

“We’d like for them to be apprehended,” Abbatiello said of the burglar(s). “We pray that the guns are not used for anything bad and we pray that their hearts are turned to the Lord.”

Only the night before, said Rhoads, there had been a similar firearm theft in the town of New Gloucester.

He added that it is unusual for burglars to steal guns because it is a more serious charge that increases the amount of time served if convicted. In addition, most of the guns that are stolen in this area end up in Massachusetts, crossing state lines and turning the theft into a federal offense.

Because of this, most gun thefts, according to Rhoads, are drug related.

“People who are hard up for drugs will steal anything,” he said.