A ten-year-old Massachusetts boy is very thankful after a kind stranger reunited him with a locket containing the ashes of his late mother following a lengthy, heartwarming search.
Lou Asci leaped into action when he saw a Tuesday report about local elementary student Connor Datri, who lost his “heart-shaped locket” engraved with his mother’s initials and fingerprint. His mother, Lynelle Leonard, died tragically in a car accident three years ago, Boston 25 News reported.
Connor realized the special necklace was missing while he was walking across a soccer field next to West Elementary School.
According to the boy’s grandmother, Melissa Moriarty, it is one of the few remnants he has of his mother.
“He wears it all the time, and he only takes it off when he showers,” she told the outlet on Monday. “He feels the closeness with his mom, that she’s always going to be there… This is like the only thing that he really has of his mom.”
Multiple people helped Connor look for the locket, but none were successful — until Asci broke out his metal detector.
Asci joined several good Samaritans in searching the field after a friend of his, who saw the story on the news, mentioned it to Asci. After three days, he finally got a hit.
On Thursday night, “after two hours of searching,” Asci heard his metal detector go off.
“I was just about ready to finish that quadrant of the field, and that’s when I got the hit,” he told the station. “When I got the hit, it was a big, high-tone signal, and I immediately thought it was a quarter. And then, I saw the heart shape.”
He then connected with Moriarty to return the necklace to Connor.
“I know that it was a heartbreaking thing. I can tell it was an emotional thing for both of them,” Asci said. “And it was kind of emotional for me, too. It was something that had to be done. I can’t just let this go. If I have the ability to help, I’ll do it.”
As for Connor and his grandmother, they were extremely happy to have the prized possession back.
“Connor just wants to thank everyone for looking, and he’s very happy that he has his mom back,” Moriarty said.
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