Michigan woman who walks to work finds $15K in plastic bag, returns it to police

Updated: Feb. 02, 2023, 1:30 p.m. | Published: Feb. 02, 2023, 10:41 a.m.

By Matt Durr | mattdurr@mlive.com

WHITE LAKE TOWNSHIP, MI -- A woman who walks more than two miles to work says even though she could have used the money, she knew that when she found nearly $15,000 in a plastic bag, she needed to give it to police.

According to Fox 2 Detroit, Dianne Gordon was walking home from work on Jan. 21 when she stopped at a BP gas station to buy a snack. As she was walking up to the building, she saw a plastic bag on the ground and inside the bag she could see piles of money. Although she was in need of a vehicle-- her car broke down last year -- Gordon contacted police and returned the money immediately.

When police searched the bag, they found $14,780 inside along with several wedding cards. Officers were eventually able to track down who the money belonged to and discovered it belonged to a newlywed couple that had been married earlier that day.

Police have since returned the money to the couple.

As for Gordon, her good deed wasn’t overlooked by people who heard her story, as the spouse of one of the police officers involved launched a crowdfunding campaign to help secure a car for Gordon. As of Thursday morning, the campaign has raised $14,500, nearly as much money as what Gordon found that day. Once the $25,000 goal is met, the campaign is going to work with a local car dealer to purchase Gordon’s new car.