Then, while helping retrieve lost objects in Swannanoa for Violet Vardiman — a woman Holtz fondly calls “Miss Violet" — Holtz realized how many other missing belongings were out there.
After exploring the cornfield and adjacent woods for about 20 minutes, Holtz already has a handful to bring back — an 8-track tape, a teddy bear with golden wings and plenty of photos.
In early February, Holtz combed through parts of a flattened cornfield in Swannanoa, North Carolina — a rural area razed by fierce floodwaters from Hurricane Helene a few months earlier.
At first, searching for lost belongings was overwhelming because of the sheer volume of objects strewn about, Holtz says.
Over the past few months, Holtz has spent much of her free time making the nearly four-hour drive from Raleigh to Swannanoa to search for lost items.
