After Family Lost Cherished Photos of Dead Son During Hurricane Helene, a Detective Makes Incredible Find

A family in Asheville, N.C., who lost their home to Hurricane Helene was able to recover photographs featuring their late son, thanks to the work of a diligent police detective. 

As The New York Times reported on Saturday, Nov. 9, the Moss family’s home floated down the Swannanoa River during the late September hurricane that had claimed the lives of 102 people in North Carolina as of Tuesday, Nov. 12. 

Just days after their home washed away, the Mosses returned to the site to search for their photos of son Tommy James Moss, who died in his youth from a genetic disorder. The family spent 10 days sifting through the muddy debris and came up with only a few items like a figurine from the film The Lion King. 

Mary Moss, Tommy’s mom, initially thought the rest of the photos and mementos that served as reminders of her late son had gone with the home. 

“It was just defeating,” Dallas Moss, Mary’s son and Tommy’s younger brother who took part in the search, told the paper.

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But all was not lost. On Thursday, Oct. 17, the Asheville Police Department shared images on Facebook of dozens of family photos that were found following the storm.

“Though the water was strong enough to demolish buildings, uproot trees, and bend and tear steel, it could not wash away the memories contained within these photos. The Asheville Police Department would therefore like to see them returned to their rightful owners,” the department wrote in the post.

As the New York Times reported, someone alerted Dallas to the Asheville Police Department’s Facebook post, which contained archival Moss family photos, including one of Dallas and Tommy when they were kids and another of the boys with a neighbor. 

The Moss family photos were among many that were found by Asheville Police Department Detective Sam DeGrave, who was involved in the evacuation and rescue of people on the day the hurricane struck Asheville. Over the course of days, as he went through the debris,  DeGrave found pictures belonging to Asheville families in the mud as well as some on tree limbs. With the help of other officers, he collected about 300 photos. 

“That was the point in which I realized it was about saving something for someone that lost everything rather than using them as a clue to find a missing person,” DeGrave told the paper. “Once you started looking for pictures, they were everywhere.”

In addition to the Mosses, other residents in Asheville had their once-lost family photos recovered through DeGrave’s efforts, as well.

“It’s been bittersweet being able to focus on these photos and the fact that I even have any,” Mary Moss also said to the outlet. “God works in mysterious ways.”

PEOPLE reached out to DeGrave and Dallas Moss for comment.