JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — A tin full of Civil War-era photos and documents have been reunited with its owner after two burglars stole them from a metro-area storage shed.
The items were snagged during a heist several years ago. Since then, they have been sitting in the evidence lockup unit in the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office posted the items on Facebook, hoping to find the person who originally owned them. After searching for a few months, John W. Barlow came forward.
Barlow knew specific details about the items and explained to investigators how the photos feature some of his family members.
“He could tell me about the documents that were in the tin regarding the Civil War pension paperwork,” said Kimberly Van Norman, an evidence technician with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Barlow lives in Aurora and plans to share the photos with his daughter.
“If you don’t know where you came from, you don’t know where the hell you’re going,” Barlow said.