Students discover purse lost 30 years ago

Tools

Story Published: Mar 5, 2008 at 5:07 PM PST

By Azenith Smith

COOS BAY - A group of OSU students, on a field trip at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology in Charleston, come up with an unusual discovery in the nearby woods.

On Friday, about a dozen graduate students were looking for salamanders in the woods, behind the OIMB campus, when they came across a small purse with old credit cards and identification that expired in the 1970's.

After reporting it to the Coos County Sheriff's Office, they found out the purse had belonged to 57-year-old Betty Oyler of Coos Bay, who had lost it 30 years ago.

According to Oyler, she was at the beach with a friend when that purse was stolen from her car.

When she received the call that her lost purse was found, she was in disbelief.

"It's a trip. I don't know where it was all this time, that nobody discovered it before. That's a long time." says Oyler.

Oyler plans to toss most of the items in the purse, since they're muddy and wet, but she does plan to keep her old driver's license and a sentimental, friendship ring from high school.

On a side note, KCBY spoke with Catherine Searle, who reported the lost purse, and she mentioned, inside it, they also found the salamanders that they were looking for all night.

Current Weather

Current Temp 39.0 °F

Overcast

Video

More Weather

Current Weather

More Weather

Upload directly from your mobile device.

Learn how

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.