When Bullhead City officials posted a plea on Facebook to help identify the rightful owner of a jewelry box containing a pair of gold cufflinks and a black-and-white photograph from 1954, they never imagined the mystery would be solved in just 24 hours. Thanks to the power of social media, the sentimental treasures found in a stolen vehicle were quickly reunited with the family that had lost them decades earlier.
The unusual story began last December when a vehicle stolen from Bullhead City, AZ, was recovered in Las Vegas and returned to its owner. While cleaning out the car, the owner discovered a jewelry box from the now-closed Whelan Jewelers in Clifton-Morenci, AZ. Inside was a photo of a smiling young couple, dated November 7, 1954, along with a set of engraved gold cufflinks.
Recognizing the items were likely of sentimental value, the vehicle’s owner turned them over to city officials. Bullhead City Manager Toby Cotter stepped in just before they were slated for public auction, halting the sale and launching a search for their true owner.
“With that picture, we can find somebody who will own these and will take pride in these," Cotter told FOX5 Vegas. "So we started the search and it surprisingly didn’t take very long.”
The city posted an appeal on its Bullhead City Laughlin Events Facebook page, urging the public's assistance in solving the mystery.
"Do you know this couple?" the city wrote. "Share this post and help us return these memories where they belong."
The post quickly circulated online, eventually landing in a group called Morenci Pals, dedicated to the Arizona copper mining town where the photo was taken. That’s where Houston resident Ralph Duran Jr. recognized the couple instantly: his late parents, Olga and Ralph Duran Sr.
“The blood just rushed out of my entire body, and to be honest, I probably cried for about 10 minutes straight,” Duran told AZFamily.com.
He had never seen the photo before, but remembered stories of his father — a Marine — posing with his mother in his grandmother’s Morenci backyard while on military leave. The cufflinks, engraved with his father’s name, sealed the connection.
How and why the cufflinks and 70-year-old photo ended up in the stolen car remains a mystery.
For Duran and his sister, Maria Smith, of Las Vegas, the discovery was overwhelming. Many of their family photos had been destroyed years ago, making this newly uncovered image even more precious.
“They were so happy, and so in love,” Smith told FOX5 Vegas.
The items are now being mailed to Duran in Texas, where they will remain cherished family heirlooms. Reflecting on the experience, Duran said the discovery felt like a sign from his parents.
“It’s just a sign that I always believe that, you know, they’re still watching out for us. It’s just kind of a gentle push to let us know they’re still there, and they’re still looking after us, and hopefully we’re making them proud,” he told AZFamily.com.
Credits: Photo courtesy of City of Bullhead City.