on a few occasions, he stumbled upon unexpected treasures, including jewelry, diamonds, and once, a plastic bag stuffed with nearly $7,000 in u.s. and canadian cash.
although he usually avoids taking items from sites, this was an exception. after finding some paperwork in the house with identifying details, he was able to track down the granddaughter of the couple who previously owned the home.
after a few phone calls, and along with his wife and another couple, they met the woman at the house and she explained more of its history to dave. as for the cash, the woman’s grandfather had operated a fruit stand in niagara falls, which explained the mix of u.s. and canadian currency.
after he handed over the money, she gave him back $250, which he then donated to the burlington humane society.
“while you’re there, you put together a story in your head of what possibly happened,” daves says of his urban explorations.
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in the only other instance where he’s removed items from a house, he attempted to return a box of second world war memorabilia, including medals and a bloodied nazi shoulder patch that he surmised was cut from a dead soldier.
dave found surviving family members through an obituary and offered to return the items. surprisingly, they declined and even notified the police.
a former military member, dave says he was shocked by that reaction.