BULLHEAD CITY, AZ (AZFamily) — What would you do if you were told someone had found a missing piece of your family history that you never even knew existed? That is what happened to one man when a car stolen from Bullhead City helped uncover that missing piece.
“How did this precious box end up in a stolen car?” asked Bullhead City communications specialist Nicole Jarman.
Last December, a car was stolen out of Bullhead City and later found in Las Vegas. When the car was returned to its owner and cleaned out, a box was found tucked inside.
“She found this box and had no idea where it came from. And so, it got turned in with police evidence,” said Jarman.
It was a jewelry box purchased from Whelan Jewelers in Clifton-Morenci, Arizona. It contained a black and white photo of a couple dated Nov. 7, 1954, and a pair of gold cuff links with an engraved name.
The jewelry box was nearly sold at a public auction until Bullhead City Manager Toby Cotter intervened. Cotter stopped the sale and asked the city to find its rightful owner instead.
Bullhead City officials set out to solve the mystery. They posted to social media, and less than 24 hours later, it ended up on a Facebook group called “Morenci Pals,” the hometown of Ralph Duran Jr., who now lives near Houston.
“The blood just rushed out of my entire body, and to be honest, I probably cried for about 10 minutes straight,” said Duran.
He had never seen the photo, but he instantly recognized the couple. It was his parents, Olga and Ralph Duran Sr., posing for a photo in his grandmother’s backyard in Morenci.
“That was when my father was in the Marine Corps and was basically dating my mom. I guess he was home on leave. They were leaning on my grandma’s ’53 Dodge and I remember that vehicle very well,” said Duran.
The cuff links are engraved with his father’s name. That is how Duran was able to claim the jewelry box. His mother died of an illness when he was just 7 years old. His father died in 2003 of Parkinson’s disease. Duran says the jewelry box is now in the mail and on its way to his home in Texas. Grief still weighs on Duran all these years later, but this discovery is a reminder of something good.
“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,” said Duran.
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