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Reuniting lost or stolen belongings back to the victims can take a special outreach

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - When stolen items are found, but the owners are not known, it takes a special outreach by law enforcement to let the public know what has been retrieved and how it can be returned.

Sometimes in the case of stolen mail it's very clear with the address on the envelope.

Recently boxes of pictures were found on the side of the road in the Santa Ynez Valley.

They were located during a stolen vehicle investigation that had deputies involved from Solvang to Ventura. When the owner of the car was found, the pictures were not part of their property.

"That's why the deputy was so intent on trying to do everything we can to try and find the owner," said Sheriff's Information Officer Raquel Zick.     

Zick says in many cases, the items are stored for a period of time and months later they could be discarded.
"We book it for safe keeping and  it is retained for a certain amount of time. Sometimes that stuff does get destroyed."

There are numerous childhood photos, trips, gatherings, special events and memories that go back about 70 years.

From some clues the people in the photos there are connections to both the Santa Barbara and Ventura area, and possibly some family members in the Los Angeles area including North Hollywood.

"There's literally somebody's family story," said Zick. "We're hoping somebody is going to recognizing somebody in these pictures. Something is going to strike a bell or that's the case that used to sit on my parents' dresser."

Anyone who recognizes people in the photos should contact the Sheriff's department at  info@sbsheriff.org.

Article Topic Follows: Crime & Courts

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John Palminteri

John Palminteri is senior reporter for KEYT News Channel 3-12. To learn more about John, click here.

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