TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A suitcase overflowing with letters from the 1920s to the 1940s. Most are addressed to a Tucson woman named Donna. Somehow, many decades later, they ended up being discovered by Tucson police in a stolen car. Now they will be sent to Donna’s closest living relative.
“I can’t hardly wait. I was told they would be mailed today,” said 85-Year-Old Diane Brentlinger. Diane is Donna’s niece in Indiana.
“My mother, her sister, were very close. I'm hoping I find some letters from my mother to her sister Donna, that would be really neat.”
Among the letters are words from overseas during World War II, and several notes and clippings are from even earlier.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety was able to track down Donna’s family using social media.
“Within 12 hours we had some leads,” said AZ DPS Spokesperson Sgt. David Ball.
Ball says he’s glad the letters will soon be in the hands of someone who can appreciate them.
“We knew this clearly wouldn’t be something a burglar would find any value in and probably why they were just thrown in the backseat of the vehicle,” he said.
Diane says she’s very grateful.
“I thought they were exceptionally thoughtful to keep after this story with the help of the media,” she said.
