* 11-Year-Old Boy Fishes an Old Wallet, but What He Finds Inside Will Solve a Mystery

If you think fishing is a boring activity you could never possibly enjoy, that’s only because you haven’t heard of South Carolina teen Brodie Brooks, who came across an incredible find during his first major fishing adventure.

He didn’t catch any fish that day, but his disappointment quickly faded away after he realized his discovery was about to make someone’s life a little bit better.

Keep reading to find out what Brodie had found, and the mystery he helped solve.

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New Rod

One of the reasons Brodie wanted to go fishing at Lake Hartwell that day was to test out his brand-new rod. Everyone in his family knew he really wanted to give fishing a shot, so they decided to get him a new rod for his 11th birthday.

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New Rod

Brodie was so excited that he managed to convince a couple of older boys to join him on this adventure. They were hoping to catch some fish, but nothing could’ve prepared them for strange treasure they’ve discovered in the lake.

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Wait and See

Fishing is one of those activities that require the patience of a saint. It’s impossible to catch any fish if you’re not ready to play a waiting game, and Brodie Brooks was prepared to do just that.

His uncle gave him a ride on his boat, and they set up their equipment after finally reaching Lake Hartwell. Brodie knew how this game works, and he was ready to sit back and relax until fish finally took the bait.

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Wait and See
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He had no idea how quickly the wait will be over, and what will wait for him at the end of the bait.

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First Catch

Brodie’s distant relative Ben Myers also joined him on this adventure, and he was experienced enough to handle any fish they could possibly catch. He guided the 11-year-old fishing enthusiast and showed him how to properly attach the bait and angel the reel.

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First Catch
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Myers’ expectations weren’t extremely high, and he was pretty surprised when Brodie started yelling that he actually caught something. Myers came to his rescue, but it quickly turned out they won’t be eating any fish for dinner that day.

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Fish or Treasure?

Myers quickly realized something fishy was going on – but no actual fish was involved in this discovery. Brodie was super-excited about his first catch of the day, but the experienced fisherman had to break bad news to him.

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Fish or Treasure?
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“I told him, ‘You ain’t got no fish, you got a treasure. I’ve been fishing on this lake all my life and that’s the first time I saw something be caught like this on a rod and reel,” recalled Myers while chatting with ABC News.

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Strange Catch

Any 11-year-old would be thrilled to find a long-lost treasure, but Brodie really wanted to catch some fish that day. He was so excited to try his new rod, and wasn’t prepared for the experience he went through.

Strange Catch

He was still a newbie fisherman, and had no idea how many secrets Lake Hartwell was hiding at its bottom. At the very beginning, Brodie was certain his first foray into the water will lead to something amazing… and it did – just not in the way he was hoping for.

Beginner’s Luck?

Brodie Brooks was head over heels once something finally caught the bait, but he had a hard time controlling the rod. He was certain it’s going to be an epic catch, but didn’t even consider he might end up catching something other than fish.

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Beginner’s Luck?
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“I felt like it was a big fish because it was bobbing my rod up and down and I’d just gotten an Ugly Stick so I was scared I was gonna break my rod. I was scared the line was going to snap,” the boy told ABC News

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Big Reveal

Brodie put a lot of effort into making his first major fishing adventure a success, before it took an unexpected turn. Instead of going home with a big fish, or some other water creature, he stumbled upon a popular fashion accessory.

Big Reveal

The treasure that he found during his Lake Hartwell trip was something heavy, bulky and seemingly made out of leather. Once he fished it out of the water and took a closer look, Brodie quickly realized it was an item he neither wanted nor needed – a lady’s purse.

Closer Look

Despite the fact he was disappointed at first, curiosity got the best of Brodie and he decided to look through the purse once it was finally out of the water. The boy wasn’t really hoping to find anything valuable, but it still wasn’t late to make the best of this day.

Closer Look

Brodie hoped he’ll find a way to return the purse to the owner, but it was a long shot. It was clear that the mysterious bag spent a lot of time in the lake, and it was highly unlikely that anything it contained was still well-preserved after all this time.

Long Lost

Ben Myers was by Brodie’s side the whole time, and he was just as puzzled when they found the bag. The duo didn’t recall hearing any local news about lost or stolen bags, and they both felt that this item wasn’t lost recently since it looked pretty old.

Long Lost

Despite the fact it was muddy and faded, the duo quickly realized that the purse was in a surprisingly good shape. It didn’t seem like it had any holes after all this time, and they couldn’t wait to see all the secrets hiding inside it.

Peaking Inside

After coming to a conclusion that the bag was probably intact on the inside, Ben and Brodie finally summoned the courage to unzip it and peak inside. Their hearts started racing once they finally opened it and laid their eyes on its content.

Peaking Inside

They ended up spotting a bunch of random items, that seemingly had no real value – but that’s the things about the contents of any bag. What may look like junk to one person is actually priceless to another.

Random Items

Ben and Brodie weren’t that impressed by some of the things they found inside the bag. It contained a bunch of random items they’ve never needed, including a teasing comb, some old lipsticks, and store cards that probably had expired by now.

Random Items

What impressed them, though, was the fact all of these items were in surprisingly great shape. Despite the fact this purse spent many months, years – or even decades – at the bottom of Lake Hartwell, nothing inside it was destroyed beyond repair.

Faded Photos

After going through a bunch of random items in the bag, Ben and Brodie finally struck gold. They stumbled upon a bunch of old photos of different people, and there was a slight chance they’ll be able to recognize some of them.

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Faded Photos
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After all, their home town of Anderson in South Carolina was pretty small, and Ben Myers was certain someone else would recognize these people even if they didn’t, especially since Brodie was still too young to know many of the locals.

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Initial Theories

Finding the owner of this bag seemed like a mission impossible, but there were a couple of things that Ben and Brodie knew for sure. First thing’s first – this purse was once owned by a woman, judging by everything they’d found inside.

Initial Theories

They were also certain that it’s been a while since this bag was lost. The duo couldn’t tell how many years it spent at the bottom of the lake before they managed to fish it out, but they wouldn’t be surprised if it was there even before Brodie was born.

Finding the Owner

The fishing buddies weren’t exactly sure how to find the owner of this purse, but that was going to be their next step. Old photos they’ve found inside were the most valuable discovery, so they immediately took them out of the purse. They did this to avoid further damage, and carefully separated them so they could dry out in the sun.

Finding the Owner

Ben Myers took a moment to examine them once again, and made an astonishing revelation as a familiar face stared back at him.

Somebody That I Used to Know

The duo initially thought it will take them forever to figure out who was the original owner of this purse, but that changed once Ben Myers realized he actually knows her.

Somebody That I Used to Know

“I know this woman. She’s a friend of the family. I went to school with her nephew, but I hadn’t seen her in 10 years. It was pretty wild. You fish up a purse for one, then you actually know whose it was. It was crazy,” Myers told ABC News.

Dead Giveaway

The photos they had found in the purse were pretty faded and old, so it was possible that Myers’ eyes were just playing tricks on him. What if the woman in the photos wasn’t actually who he thought she was?

Dead Giveaway

But, they didn’t need a lot of time looking for that answer either, since the purse happened to contain all the evidence they needed. One of the most unusual items they stumbled upon was a high school diploma belonging to old family friend April Bolt.

Chasing April

Ben and Brodie finally knew who this purse once belonged to, but they still weren’t sure where to look. It’s been years since Myers saw Bolt in person, but they lived in a close-knit community, and it wasn’t so difficult to track someone who was once your friend.

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Chasing April
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When Inside Edition first reported this astonishing story, Bolt revealed she discovered that her long-lost bag has been found after his nephew’s wife gave her a call, asking her if she lost her bag 20 years ago.

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Initial Shock

Anyone else would immediately dismiss this question, but April Bolt felt like a lightning went through her after hearing it. It’s been 25 years since she left her purse on a boat, and never saw it again.

Initial Shock

It was still too early to celebrate, since she was yet to be reunited with her long-lost purse, but the memories immediately started rushing back to her and she hoped that the bag that spent so many years submerged in Lake Hartwell was really hers.

Old Memories

After hearing her bag might’ve been found, old memories suddenly started rushing back. April's parents had a condo near the lake, where they spent a lot of quality time together. They parked the boat in the slip once they reached the shore, and April left her bag behind.

Old Memories

“I had all the baby’s stuff and I just left it on the boat covered up. There were two guys there fishing and, I hate to accuse anybody, but when we got back I was like, ‘My pocket book is gone,’” recalled Bolt while chatting with ABC News.

Heartbreaking Experience

Bolt simply wanted to enjoy a nice, relaxing picnic near the lake, but her day quickly turned into a total nightmare once she realized her bag was gone.

“I was crying. It wasn’t a whole lot of cash – maybe like $60. But a woman fits her whole life in her purse. It was devastating,” she told ABC News.

Heartbreaking Experience

After it became clear she’s not getting her purse back, Bolt spent a lot of time trying to cancel her IDs and credit cards, but this wasn’t even the part that hurt the most.

Lost Photos

Bolt’s son was still a toddler when her bag disappeared in 1992, and she ended up losing many of his childhood photos in the process. The fact that she was never going to get them back was the most unfortunate part of the whole story.

Lost Photos

That was why Bolt’s heart started racing once she heard her old bag might’ve been found. She just had to meet up with the boy who discovered it at the bottom of Lake Hartwell and confirm it was really hers.

Muddy Mess

April Bolt tried to keep her expectations low, because there was still a chance all the items inside the bag were completely ruined, but she was head over heels after seeing them again for the first time in 25 years.

Muddy Mess

“To a lot of people this is just a muddy mess. But to me, it’s precious to have all my belongings back, especially the pictures,” Bolt said while chatting with Inside Edition, showing off the items that she left inside the bag all those years ago.

Too Much Damage?

It was finally clear that April Bolt was the original owner of the bag, but one question still remained – is she going to be able to find use for any of these items after they’ve spent so many years inside the lake.

Her cards were already canceled, her cosmetic products were past their expiration date and she probably asked her high school for a new copy of her diploma 25 years ago.

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Too Much Damage?
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She was still thrilled after being reunited with her bag since it contained something that was truly priceless.

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Priceless Find

Even if all the other items were lost forever, Bolt wouldn’t mind it one bit, since there was only one thing she was hoping to find – old photos of her son.

Priceless Find

“It meant the world to me. My son is 26 now, but he was 15 months then and I had all his photos that were professionally taken in my wallet. Back then you didn’t have your cellphone with the pictures. They have water damage but you can make him out,” Bolt told ABC News.

Favorite Lipstick

One of the items Bolt ended up finding in her old back was an old lipstick that used to be her favorite. She was pretty upset after losing it, because the color was discontinued, and she couldn’t find it anywhere in the years to come.

Favorite Lipstick

Bolt probably ended up finding a new favorite brand, but seeing her old lipstick brought back some good memories. She was pretty impressed because it was still in a pretty great shape, but using it was out of the question.

Strange Items

When Inside Edition shared this story on their YouTube channel, under the title “11-Year-Old Boy Returns Woman's Purse Lost in Lake 25 Years Ago”, many people were puzzled after learning Bolt carried a high school diploma in her purse, but one of the people in her life was intrigued by an entirely different item.

Strange Items

“I also had this comb with a pick on the end of it. My daughter is a hairdresser and when she saw it, she was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’” recalled Bolt in an interview with ABC News.

What a Purse!

Another thing that impressed people after this story went viral was the fact that Bolt’s purse survived all these years. Unfortunately, she never said what kind of purse it was, but that would be a great marketing tool for the company that made it.

What a Purse!

Brodie Brooks wasn’t particularly impressed by the purse, because he really wanted to catch some fish with his new rod. He got to make someone’s life a little bit better that day, and there’s still plenty of fish in the sea – or Lake Hartwell – left for him to catch.

Special Meaning

Despite the fact she was heartbroken to lose her purse 25 years ago, April Bolt didn’t exactly spend all these years thinking about it, but she was still happy to get it back two decades later and she believes all of this happened for a reason.

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Special Meaning
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“Everyone keeps telling me, ‘There’s got to be a meaning to why you’re finding this so many years later. I’m sure God will reveal that in time. It’s just so precious to have it back. Even the pictures, even though they’re all messed up,” Bolt told ABC News.

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