Sacramento Detectives Find Storage Locker Full Of Stolen History
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Sacramento detectives are asking for the public's help to identify a person of interest, but this person is not wanted for a crime.
A couple of months ago, a collection more than a century old turned up inside a Sacramento storage unit during a theft investigation. Detectives are now searching for the rightful owner.
Inside the boxes is a collection of history more than 100 years old.
Sacramento County Sheriff's Det. Nathan Cereceres said, "Never seen anything like this before. I'm intrigued just by looking at it."
Once-stolen family memories have now been recovered by the sheriff's department and are ready to reunite with their owner.
"I've yet to come across something as unique as this," said Cereceres, "Everything in here has some meaning. It's part of their family history; it's part of their lineage."
The boxes were recently found inside a storage unit filled mostly with other stolen items. Many of the items were returned to their owners, but the boxes went unclaimed. Inside of them is a snapshot of world history, item including newspaper articles that chronicle the last century from Hitler's death and Nixon's resignation to the Loma Prieta earthquake.
Also inside the boxes are hundreds of handwritten letters dating back to the late 1800's. The letters were mostly sent from Stockton to various cities around California, and addressed to a "Mrs. Ada Hall" or "Mrs. Mortimer L. Hall." Much of the conversation surrounds farming and planting in the Stockton and San Joaquin area. Detectives searched the names and addresses but had no luck finding the family.
"Every lead came up cold," said Cereceres. "Stuff like this, it's invaluable."
Authorities say two suspects are in jail right now for burglary and receiving stolen property, but Sacramento County detectives haven't been able to talk with them yet because they're in custody in another county. Authorities are asking anyone who may know who these items belong to, to contact them.