Bed selfie tied to home burglary, but man in photo says he’s no thief

A couple who was being sought by law enforcement officials after their selfies appeared on a “cloud” storage account linked to a stolen phone have been identified and are cooperating in the theft investigation, authorities said Thursday.

The man, who identified himself as Larry Beltran Jr. to NBC4, was seen in a bed selfie possibly linking him and his girlfriend to a Santa Clarita burglary. He had stopped by a local Sheriff’s Department station on Wednesday to say it was all a misunderstanding, but was told to come back the next day since the detective handling the case wasn’t there.

He claimed the cellphone was purchased by his aunt at a swap meet and given to him as a gift.

The man is “cooperating with the handling detective working” on the break-in, which was reported by a Santa Clarita woman when she found selfies of an unknown couple on the online cloud storage after her home was burglarized, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Soon after the selfies were discovered, detectives asked for the public’s help in finding the couple, whom they described as “persons of interest.”

The couple’s selfies quickly went viral, prompting Beltran to visit the Santa Clarita sheriff’s station to clear his name.

Beltran’s mother, meanwhile, said she wanted an apology from the department.

A time stamp on the photographs indicated the photographs were taken days after the break-in, sheriff’s Deputy Joshua Dubin said.

Authorities say they are still investigating the burglary and would not release any further information.

“We appreciate the public and media attention gained through sharing information about the persons of interest,” sheriff’s officials said.

For breaking news in Los Angeles and throughout California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA. She can be reached at veronica.rocha@latimes.com.