re: Police/Criminal law question

All you have here is missing items and the homeowner's word they were there before. This will be going against the handyman's word that he didn't take them. If there's no proof he took anything, why would the police or a PI or a civil suit accomplish anything? Short answer, it won't.

On the longest of long shots you could get a PI to tail him 24/7 for a few weeks to get evidence of him selling said goods, but even that's an extreme long shot and unless one could get their hands on the goods to verify they are the ones that are missing, there's no case.