Police return purse with $12kUSD to Illinois woman, just wanted her photos

An Illinois woman who lost nearly $12,000 at a La Crosse mall has her money back.

The La Crosse Tribune reports ( ) that 73-year-old Norberta Pickett of Rockford and her husband had hoped to buy a camper while riding motorcycles around Sparta earlier this month. On the last day of their trip they visited Valley View Mall. Pickett forgot her purse in a Hallmark Store restroom.

An employee found the purse. When no one claimed it by Friday, she checked it for an ID and turned it over to police. Officers discovered $11,773 in cash as well as gift cards and photos of Pickett’s children and grandchildren inside.

Police contacted Pickett, who drove to La Crosse to retrieve the purse. She said she was most upset about losing her photos.