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BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. - After a stolen car was found in Las Vegas and returned to its owner in Bullhead City, Arizona, a hidden secret was discovered inside: a photograph from 1954.
What they're saying:
"She had no idea where it came from. It wasn't hers," said Nicole Jarman, a marketing and communications specialist for Bullhead City. "It was this photo from 1954, gold engraved cufflinks, and it was inside a jewelry box that was from Clifton, Arizona."
The items stuck out to City Manager Toby Cotter, who felt they should be kept from going to auction, which is standard procedure for unclaimed items.
Photo courtesy of Bullhead City
"His first thought was, this looks like it's meaningful to somebody. It looks like it matters," Jarman said. "And we should not send this to auction."
Jarman posted the photo on the city's Facebook page, asking people to share it.
Photo courtesy of Bullhead City
The post caught the attention of Texas resident Ralph Duran.
"I said, 'that's my mom and dad,'" Duran said.
It also caught the attention of his sister, Maria Smith, who lives in Las Vegas.
"It was my first reaction when I saw it, you know, I just cried and cried, and it's just wonderful to see it," Smith said.
Duran believes the picture was taken just before their wedding in Greenlee County, Arizona, when his father, Ralph, was in the Marine Corps, and his mother, Olga, worked at a mercantile.
"They were just a young couple in love and all that good stuff," Duran said.
Photo courtesy of Bullhead City
Big picture view:
With Olga passing away when Duran and Smith were young and their father, Ralph, dying in 2003, the siblings say the photo is worth more than a thousand words to them.
"I cried for about 10 minutes straight. I mean, there's a barrage of emotion, you know," Duran said.
"Our first stepmother destroyed all our family photographs," Smith said. "To have another photograph back in the family is wonderful."
Duran and Smith said they are eternally grateful to the woman who found the items in her car and to the city for putting so much effort into finding out who they belong to.
They said they are amazed a photo from 1954 could be reunited with its rightful owners in 2025 through the power of the internet.