Surprising Catch
Seeing the fishing rod bend towards the water, he ran to help his nephew catch whatever was on the other side of the fishing line. Neither of them was ready for what it was.
When they reeled in the mysterious creature and it finally broke from the water's depths, it had leathery skin. Whatever it was, it wasn't a fish.
Going Fishing
Brodie Brooks was so happy to receive his new fishing rod for his birthday. He was even happier to go out fishing with his uncle and the boys. This 11-year old was expecting an adventure.
Brodie didn't think that his adventure would include nabbing a purse full of previous owner's valuables.
Patiently Waiting
After arriving at Lake Hartwell, Anderson County, they got on their boat and set out on the lake. Ready with their fishing rods, they passed the time with some chit-chat.
While waiting patiently for a nibble, Brodie never knew that his catch would have to be turned in to the local police.
Getting A Bite
Brodie learned everything he knew about fishing from Ben Myers, his uncle. Ben helped set up Brodie's rod, but because there was no pressure for Brodie to actually catch anything, Ben was surprised when Brodie's rod began to bend.
His pride for Brodie turned to worry when they eventually saw what was on the other end of Brodie's line.
Fish?
Brodie can recall what happened clearly. “I felt like it was a big fish because it was bobbing my rod up and down,” he said. “I’d just gotten an Ugly Stik, so I was scared I was gonna break my rod. I was scared the line was going to snap.”
Brodie finally reeled in his catch. Upon seeing it was a purse, he looked inside. What he found made him call for his uncle.
Waterlogged Purse
There was no doubt the purse was old, but there was one item inside the purse that would give astonishing evidence as to how old it truly was.
Despite being in the water for a long time, the purse wasn't too worse for wear. The contents of the purse weren't in such good shape, but there was one item that Ben was very surprised to see.
Inside The Purse
Among the first surprises of the purse's contents, Ben found some photographs... old photographs. Still, they couldn't make them out very well so the search continued.
“We might catch a can here, or something like that. But as far as a woman’s purse, that’s a first for me,” Ben said in an interview. “I’ve been fishing on this lake all my life, and that’s the first time I saw something be caught like this.”
A Secret
Somehow, most of the items in the bag could be made out despite being waterlogged for so long. Among these items were lipstick, a few store cards, and a comb.
Two questions were immediately raised in the back of Ben's mind: how long ago was this purse plunged into the lake? And where could the owner of the purse be? Ben was suspicious.
Shadowy Circumstances
There were many photographs in the purse. Fortunately, they had stood the test of time underwater and looked like they were taken with old technology.
They still couldn't determine who owned this purse, until they found a hidden compartment in the purse with many secrets that hadn't seen the light of day.
Recognizable Face
This compartment held still more photographs. Like the others, they decided to patiently pull them apart and spread them out so they could dry.
There was one photo that drew their attention. This photograph had a face -- a recognizable face. When they saw it they had to phone the police.
Proof?
Ben knew this face, even Brodie said he recognized it. “She was a friend of the family. I went to school with her nephew, but I haven’t seen her in ten years,” Ben said.
How could this woman he knew have their purse in the lake? How long was it at the bottom of the lake? Worry set in as Ben realized that this might be proof of something and he was interfering with police business.
The Search
After letting the police know, Ben scoured the internet in search of the woman. He managed to find her nephew, who was very surprised to hear Ben's story about the purse after years.
The nephew wasted no time in calling his Aunt to relay what Ben had told him.
April Bolt
The purse’s owner was April Bolt, now 49 years old. She couldn’t believe that her purse had finally been found. “I couldn’t believe it. I was lost for words. You never think you’d see it again,” she said in an interview.
She had lost it back in 1992 – an unbelievable 25 years ago! But April believes that her purse disappeared under suspicious circumstances…
Suspicions
April had attended a cookout back in 1992 at Lake Hartwell.
“We were on the boat and my parents had a condo there and we were grilling burgers and we parked the boat in the slip… There were two guys there fishing and – I hate to accuse anybody – but when we got back I was like, ‘My pocketbook is gone!’” she explained.
Devastated
At the time, April had been devastated. “I was crying… It wasn’t a whole lot of cash – maybe like $60. But a woman fits her whole life in her purse. It was devastating,” she said.
“My favorite lipstick was in there and the color was discontinued.” But it wasn’t the lipstick or the cash that April was most upset about losing.
Irreplaceable
Among the items that Ben had found inside the purse were baby photographs of her son.
“My son is 26 now, but he was 15 months then, and I had all his photos that were professionally taken in my wallet. They have water damage but you can make him out,” April said tearfully.
Disappointment
When asked about their amazing catch that day on Lake Hartwell, Ben and Brodie still can’t quite believe it. “It was pretty wild,” Ben told ABC News. “You fish up a purse – for one – then you actually know whose it was…”
Brodie, on the other hand, hadn’t been as thrilled as his uncle to have caught an old purse instead of a fish.
Trash Or Treasure?
The boy’s disappointment was all over his face when they reeled in the leathery old purse. But it was Ben who had recognized the catch for what it was.
“I told him, ‘You ain’t got no fish, you got a treasure!’” Ben recalls, laughing. But what did April think about being reunited with her belongings that had been missing for over two decades?
The Reason
She simply said that the purse’s recovery “meant the world to her.” But she still has some unanswered questions. Firstly, had her purse really been stolen all those years ago? And by whom?
Firstly, had her purse really been stolen all those years ago? And by whom? Secondly, she wonders why it has been returned to her now. She believes that the universe must have its reasons.
Precious Memories
“Everyone keeps telling me, ‘There’s got to be a meaning to why you’re finding this so many years later,’” she reveals. “I’m sure God will reveal that in time.”
Meanwhile, she is enjoying the memories that the items in her purse have brought back. “It’s just so precious to have it back,” she concludes.