Stolen gold pendant inscribed with 'I love you' returned to owner more than 3 year later

Hopewell, Va. (WTVD) -- A pendant stolen from a woman's jewelry box in 2016 was reunited with its owner after a college student found it on the shores of the Appomatox River in Hopewell, Va.

Homer Thomas Eliades told WTVR he found the gold pendant, inscribed with the image of a man and the words "I love you," buried in the sand.

"I knew it would be important to them," Eliades said. "I would want someone to do that for me."

Friday, Eliades was able to hand the pendant to its rightful owner, Lynn Colacone, after the two connected via social media.

"It was 2016 in April when I lost this," Colacone said. "Somebody broke into my home, took my jewelry box, emptied one out and took the other one."

Colacone said the man featured on the pendant was her late father. Colacone's brother gave the pendant to her mother when their father died. The pendant was passed on to Lynn Colacone when her mother died five years ago.

"I never in my lifetime thought I'd ever have it," Colacone said. "It's emotional."

Colacone said the day was made even more special because she had just had a birthday.