Three New York roommates discovered nearly $41,000 in an old, smelly couch they purchased at a Salvation Army shop and decided to do the right thing and get the money back to the owner.
Cally Guasti, Reese Werkhoven and Lara Russo told The Associated Press they discovered envelopes of cash when they decided to investigate why the cushions looked so lumpy. "We just pulled out envelopes and envelopes," Guasti said.
After finding all the money stashed away in the cushions, they counted up the total, which came to $40,800. "Honestly, I was a little overwhelmed," said Russo.
They weren't sure what to do about the money at first, with ideas of how to spend it in their heads, they discovered that one envelope had deposit slip with a name, according to The Little Rebellion. They talked about it at length, but in the end decided to do the right thing and contact the woman.
They drove out to the Hudson Valley with the money and wondered what kind of person the money belonged to, but felt the elderly woman and her family "were nice people," Werkhoven said.
The woman eventually explained in an interview that the money was from her husband who had a heart condition and wanted her to be set after he eventually passed. She would hide the money in the couch, which she would also sleep on. But the couch was replaced by a bed her daughter bought her because she had back surgery.