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'It holds so many memories' | Priceless family item lost in Wynne tornado returned after ABC24 viewer recognizes it

Someone in Wynne gave us the box on Saturday, saying it contained priceless family history inside. Monday, a viewer online let us return it to its rightful owner.

WYNNE, Ark. — Some things are irreplaceable. Mother Nature can’t destroy it. One woman in Wynne, Arkansas, who was displaced by Friday’s tornado, got a special reminder of how fortunate she is following the storm.

While we were surveying the tornado damage Saturday, a resident handed our reporter on scene a red baby box, saying it contained priceless family history items inside, but they didn't know who it belonged to. 

That's when we took to social media, asking our viewers if they knew the owner of the box, and where it could be returned. 

Luckily, one woman reached out to us and said she knew exactly whose it was.

“This is the rest of the contents from the shed that held the baby box…Where the rest of the shed is, is a mystery,” said Alyssa Waight, showing us the damage in her mother's backyard.

Credit: ABC24/Brittani Moncrease
Alyssa Waight looks on at the damage to her mother's shed after a tornado hit Wynne, Arkansas, Friday, March 31.

Waight is an Illinois resident who was helping her mother in Wynne Friday when the tornado hit.

“When people say it sounds like a train, it does when it’s close. I heard it, so I sunk down in the bathtub,” said Janise Rasberry, Waight's mother.

She survived Friday’s tornado. “No car port anymore. I don’t know whose house that ended up at. People are finding stuff from miles away,” said Rasberry.

It was Waight’s baptism box. Rasberry had it for 34 years. Alyssa’s Christening dress, cards from her deceased grandparents, her first Bible, and the first clothes she wore home after being born, were inside.

“Having this box gives me hope, especially since I’m a grandma now,” said Rasberry.

Credit: ABC24/Brittani Moncrease

It especially brings Rasberry comfort after having gone through one of the scariest moments of her life.

“It really lifts you up because you’re a nervous wreck,” said Rasberry. “Don’t ever give up. Prayer is powerful. That’s why I’m still here.”

“Whoever found this box, I really appreciate it. It holds so many memories for me,” said Waight.

They are memories reminding us that though all is lost, hope still stands. Rasberry talked about her many blessings. 

She not only survived Friday’s storm and had a family keepsake returned, she also found out that her cat, Gabby, survived the storm as well. 

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