Family photo lost in California wildfires returned to owner after global search
More than two weeks ago, Cheryl Heuton found the photo in her front yard as crews were working to extinguish the destructive wildfires in Southern California.
The family has a Baltimore connection.
The online search
When Heuton found the photo, she immediately thought it came from a home that was in the path of the Eaton Fire -- and also thought how much the family would love to have it back.
So, she posted about it on social media. By the time WJZ reporter Dennis Valera met her, Heuton already had a few tips of who the family could be.
However, she had trouble getting in touch.
"By the time it had been over a week...we [still] have been trying to contact members of the family. I was wondering if anyone really wanted this photo back," Heuton said.
Eventually, she was able to get through.
Nearly 2 weeks ago, I met Cheryl Heuton in Pasadena CA. She was trying to reunite a family photo she found in her yard.
Over the weekend, Heuton returned it, in a very emotional moment. We'll hear from her and the family who got their priceless memory back at 5 @wjz pic.twitter.com/606gKDpYwt
— Dennis Valera (@dennisreports) January 27, 2025
Making the connection
Annatova Neches said her brother, who lives in Japan, notified her of an email he received.
"He thought it was a scam," Neches said, adding he thought there was an image in it that could be generated by A.I.
Neches's brother forwarded her the email and, when she checked it, she was surprised by the picture attached.
"I was like, 'Oh my God, no, that's real,'" Neches said.
Neches, who graduated from Goucher College and lived in Baltimore for nearly a decade, said her mother has dementia. Family photos are a way for her mother to stay connected.
"These photo albums are generally around, maybe in the kitchen or in her bedroom, and the windows and doors were getting blown open," she said.
After Neches got into contact with Heuton, the two arranged to meet at an art show Neches organized to showcase her mother's work on Saturday.
While both are happy the photo is back where it belongs, both also say it's hard to balance the happiness with the sadness that not everyone can have a moment like this.
"It's a mixed feeling because it's a resolution for this photo...but it's just one little photo in an area where so much has been lost," Heuton said.
Neches adds, "It makes me feel so hyper aware of how lucky we are, how much loss is just right next to us."
Neches said her mother's house is still standing, though it did have considerable wind damage.
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