Stockton man searching for owner of photo album found in RV

Jun 11, 2023

by: Jeremiah Martinez

Posted: Jul 31, 2023 / 11:05 AM PDT

Updated: Aug 1, 2023 / 07:20 PM PDT

(KTXL) — When Juan Garcia fell on hard times during the COVID-19 pandemic, he bought an RV to live in and started to clear out space inside.

After cleaning the RV trailer, he discovered a portfolio containing old photos and documents that happened to get lost.

Garcia has been trying to find the portfolio’s owner since stumbling upon it.

“I hate for it to get lost, these are pretty old pictures,” Garcia told FOX40 News. “It looks like they mean something to somebody.”

One of the photos shows a man in a police uniform and one of the documents inside is a police academy certificate from 1951 for a man named Lewis Brundige, who Garcia assumes is in the picture of the uniform man.

Garcia searched for Brundige’s family members on Facebook with no luck.

The certificate is from the Des Moines Police Department in Iowa and the portfolio has a newspaper clipping of the academy graduation.

Other photos show a platoon from the Marine Corps in San Diego in 1951, a basketball team and a bowling group who won a championship. Most of those photos are black and white.

A few of the photos are in color such as the police officer portrait, a couple holding a baby and an image of only the baby.

With photos and documents showing connections to Iowa, it’s unclear how the portfolio made its way to California.

“I’m overwhelmed by it, it looks like a lot of history,” Garcia said. “From when he was a police captain and all the bowling (pictures), it’s almost like I know the guy.”

Garcia, who is currently unhoused in Stockton, bought the RV in Manteca as a place to live after losing a house when his mom and brother both died from COVID-19 months apart.

“That’s how I became homeless,” Garcia said. “We were all sharing the rent and I just became displaced. I held onto the house as long as I could.”

The trailer was sold to Garcia for $400 and was filled with many things he eventually got rid of. Garica eventually sold the RV due to the heavy maintenance required on the vehicle.

Garcia began living in a truck shortly after, but that vehicle was towed away earlier this summer.

Even though he doesn’t have an address, he’s not looking for a reward in exchange for the lost portfolio.

“I just want to put this in the rightful hands, maybe his grandson or granddaughters and put them in frames, especially if he moved up in the ranks as a police officer,” Garcia said.

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