Need help to Identify Part
 

Hi,

I am at a lost. It's sad, but a stranger came onto my neighbor's property and removed a part from underneath his 1987 Ford Ranger XLT 2WD that was parked in his driveway. My ring camera caught the whole event. My neighbor's not mechanically incline, so I am offering to help him to make sure the vehicle is safe to drive without spending $$ to have it inspected. I've tried to identify/match the part that was removed by inspecting the area underneath the truck's engine and front suspension, and reviewed online schematics of the truck to identify the removed part without success . We can't find any markings underneath the engine and around the suspension that would show what was removed, so I have attached a photo of the stranger holding the part as he was getting up from the ground in front of the truck, and also a photo of the stranger underneath the vehicle. Please does anyone know what the part he could be holding? It appears the truck model is not a complicated design, so I am hoping someone here can recognize the part that was removed. Thanks!

-A

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.ran...c94f8db4ce.png

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.ran...ffac2cc40c.png

there is nothing that im aware of that is easily remover in daylight, quickley. Maybe a magnetic tracking device.