The contents of the suitcase recounted the life and death of a young American officer during World War II, including hundreds of letters between him and his wife Betty Lou.
Smith decided to open some of the letters and learned that Major Haas had abandoned his medical studies and enlisted in 1941, a couple of years before Pearl Harbor. In September 1944, the letters stopped abruptly. The major had crashed in a collision in the skies over France. Unfortunately for him, another officer had suddenly fallen ill and Haas had been called in as a last-minute replacement.
Detective Smith decided to find the young officer's family. It was a decision that would consume much of his free time over the next four years. After a long time, he finally found a brother of Major Haas who now lives in Florida. The suitcase with the letters was sent to him, but Haas had long since lost contact with his brother's family, so the search had to continue.
Finally, in January this year, Major Haas' grandson came across one of his wanted postings on the internet and the family was found!
Betty Lou had sadly died in 1987, but her daughter, who had only been 4 months old when her father died, was still alive.
On the Sunday after the Valentine's Day weekend, the letters were handed over. The daughter has now learned about a father she never knew and found a lost uncle.
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