Weeks After $67K In Cash Goes Missing From Woman's Safe Deposit Box, An Unexpected Twist

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A safe deposit box mystery seems to at least be partially solved.

Last month in a WCCO special report, Laura Wade told us more than $60,000 in cash and other valuables were missing from her box at a Golden Valley bank.

When another concerned customer went to check on her own contents, she was in for a surprise.

Wade believes the week she has just had proves that anyone with a safe deposit box needs to check their belongings.

"Everyone this whole time has been saying this could not happen, and now it has happened," Wade said.

It was in January when she discovered $67,000 in cash, personal documents and pictures missing from her safe deposit box at MidWestOne in Golden Valley. She has been on a mission to find it all since.

It turns out that another concerned customer saw Wade's story last month, and just this week went to give her own safe deposit box a second look.

"If she hadn't had shown up ... we still wouldn't know," Wade said.

Inside of it was some of her stuff, including $20,600 in cash and a few of her personal documents.

Last summer, that same woman from this week checked her stuff, which at the time was directly underneath Wade's safe deposit box. She told us at that time last summer, one of her two keys didn't work, so the bank assigned her a new number. That box is also close to Wade's -- and it's the one this week where Wade's things were found.

The other woman's belongings? They were back in the same box originally assigned to her.

Police told WCCO surveillance cameras don't capture this specific area. A spokesperson from the bank provided this statement:

MidWestOne Bank has learned of a single incident involving two safe deposit boxes. We have completed an audit and believe nothing inside the boxes is missing. We take the privacy of our customers and the security of safe deposit boxes very seriously. MidWestOne is confident this was an isolated incident and will continue to evaluate best practices going forward.

"The bank is saying, 'Yes, your box was moved, but we don't know how that happened,'" Wade said.

But, she says the bank has no way to know how much of her money is still missing. She plans to continue pressing for answers until the rest of her stuff is returned.

"I'm not done yet," Wade said.

Golden Valley Police told WCCO that after a comprehensive investigation, they blame a bank error. They say if further information indicates a criminal act occurred, police will re-open the investigation.

Our story last month revealed no real liability for banks to cover any contents inside a safe deposit box. Find out what questions experts suggest you ask before renting a box.