Long-lost WWI love letters make way back to family

LAUREL, Md. -- For decades, a box of letters written by Amando Custodio to his wife during World War II sat unopened in an attic.

But a few days ago, the man with the box dropped it off at a Laurel, Md., police station with some other WWII memorabilia he found in his attic. He wanted to make sure those letters got to their rightful owner.

"We started looking through it, there were some pictures, some letters Christmas cards and it all seemed to come back to one person," Sgt. Erik Lynn of Laurel City police said.

And after some quick research, these long-lost pieces of family history have found their way back to Rita Shane and her two daughters. Letters home from World War II, from her father to her mother.

"I never read any of this before, it's pretty exciting," Shane said.

Letters, postcards, a birthday telegram to his daughter, the all-too-familiar echoes of a family separated by war.

"This'll be something to be shared so many people in the family," Shane said.

Gallery: Long-lost letters

For Amando Custodio's granddaughters, it's a glimpse of a man they barely had a chance to know

"This box, with all this information, now kinda helps to tell a story of their grandfather's life and his time during the war, but they may not of known otherwise," Lynn said.

"I just think it's wonderful that someone took the time and they didn't really have to do this," Shane said.

The family said they will be busy over the Thanksgiving holiday going through all of the pictures and letters and sharing stories with their loved ones.