'Doing the right thing': A wallet's long journey back to its owner

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (WTVD) -- After losing his wallet on Interstate 95, Scott Curri thought he would never see it again.

Almost a year later, dedicated employees of the NC Department of Transportation proved him wrong. After stopping at a rest area near Rocky Mount, NC on his way to Florida, Curri accidentally left his wallet on the roof of his car before continuing his journey down the highway.

"I thought I'd never see it again and it was gone," Curri said.

On top of losing his bank cards, cash, driver's license and social security card, Curri also lost irreplaceable personal mementos and notes from his wife and late mother who passed away in 2016.

Months later, Bobby Liverman, district engineer for NC Department of Transportation, found a wallet in the glove compartment of a state vehicle. Liverman shipped the wallet to the New York address listed on Curri's driver's license in November, but the address was no longer valid as Curri had since moved.

Determined to reconnect the wallet with its owner, Liverman entrusted one of his office assistants, Sybil Stancil with finding Curri online. Stancil said she searched for Curri on Google and social media in her free time. After around six weeks of searching and dead-end phone calls, she finally got in contact with Curri's wife around Christmas.

"I was elated," Stancil said. "I can't believe I actually found the man that this wallet belongs to, but I did. And it felt good."

Though Curri said he was initially worried he was a victim of a scam, he soon realized the good intentions of Stancil and Liverman.

"Right before Christmas, usually when the biggest scams are out, my wife calls me and said, 'Hey, I just got a call from some lady in North Carolina that was asking me questions about you.' Now, that's not the thing that every guy likes to hear," Curri joked. "But as it turns out, it was Sybil."

Once connected with Curri, Stancil was able to finally reunite Curri with his wallet, packing it in a decorative Christmas tin, which Curri said was extremely meaningful.

"This lady went the extra distance for me," Curri said. "And the Christmas can, that was just too much."

Though Curri said the cash was missing and had most likely blown away as it fell on the interstate, his license, social security card and keepsakes like a fortune from a fortune cookie were still in the wallet. Most importantly for Curri, a hand-drawn heart from his wife featuring the words "a hug & kiss for you" and a handwritten and signed note from his mother in 2008 remained safely nestled in his wallet.

"The money and the other stuff didn't matter," Curri said. "But everything else was irreplaceable."

Though Curri said he feels Stancil's efforts to find him were encouraging during difficult current times, Stancil said she simply felt like she did something she was meant to do.

"You hear the saying all the time: 'some people go above and beyond,' but this wasn't above and beyond, I just felt led to do it," Stancil said. "I felt like I was handed a task and I wanted to complete it."

Curri expressed his profound gratitude to Stancil and Liverman to finally have the priceless notes and memories returned to him after many months apart.

"Sybil is the kind of person who maintains the faith that things are going to be all right," Curri said. "She's a good person, doing the right thing."