Kim Stewart finds all sorts of things in the lost and found bin at her workplace, Fry’s Food Store in San Tan Valley. “They’ll leave wallets and sometimes driver’s licenses, and credit cards and things like that,” she said. But there’s one item a shopper recently lost that stood out more than most.

A few days ago, the longtime Fry’s employee found a small pouch. When she looked inside, there was a necklace with a vial full of ashes and two charms. One said “Son.” The other inscribed, “I still need you close to me.”

“I got very emotional,” Stewart said. “I teared up a little bit, and I said a prayer because this is somebody’s son. I wanted to hang on to it because I want to make sure that it gets back to the right hands.”

As a mother herself, Stewart knew right away she had to get the ashes back to the grieving mom, so she posted her discovery on Facebook.

“You know it’s something so precious, and I can’t imagine having to go through that,” said Stewart.

It’s unclear exactly when the ashes and necklace were lost, but it likely happened within the past few weeks. Stewart said if these were her child’s ashes, she would want someone to do exactly what she is doing.

“Maybe it’s not somebody that lives here,” she said. “Maybe it’s a snowbird or somebody just coming through,” said Stewart. “I’m really praying this mom comes forward soon.”

If you have any information about who owns the necklace, call the store at (480) 474-6600.