FORT WAYNE — Juanita Burks, Fort Wayne, thought she was making a simple purchase when she bought a cedar chest from an online garage sale earlier this summer.

She met the seller, made the transaction and loaded the chest into her vehicle. However, she did not look inside the chest until she got home. When she opened the lid, she was surprised to find it was full of someone’s personal memorabilia.

“I found many old photos, high school diplomas, high school scrapbooks, baby books, etc.,” she said.

Burks contacted the seller, who told her to throw the items away. Burks was not about to do that.

“I would like to find the person or family that these belong to,” she said.

Many of the items have names attached. For example, a class of 1983 diploma from Warsaw Community High School bears the name, Julie Renea Miller. A more recent one, from the class of 2003, belongs to Justin DeWayne Yoder.

Burks has tried unsuccessfully to find the owners.

“I have sent Facebook messages to several Yoders,” she said. “The messages have gone to their ‘other’ folder and, as of now, have not been read. I also contacted the coordinator of the Warsaw Community High School class of 1984 and she referred me to Ink Free News.”

The message reads as follows:

“Hello, I’m trying to find out the location of Julie Renea Miller, Class of 1983 from Warsaw Community High School. I don’t know her and she doesn’t know me. I just purchased a cedar chest with a large amount of pictures, baby books, her diploma, etc. and I’m trying to get them back to her. Any information or direction you could point me in would be terrific. Thanks.”

Anyone with information pertaining to the owners of this memorabilia can email [email protected].