Teen finds owner of donated jacket after finding expensive jewelry in it: 'Filled a hole in his heart'

Editor's note: This article was originally published on November 11, 2022. It has since been updated.

Luke Coelho, a 17-year-old senior from Brazil, just transferred to South High Community School in Worcester. He needed some new clothes, in adjustment to the chilly weather in Worcester. Andy's Attic, the school's clothing donation program, assisted him in getting fine garments for the winter. Luke was overjoyed when he put on his new donated jacket since he now had something to keep him warm. But he would soon realize that the old garment was far more precious and valuable than he could have imagined. Two Gucci watches, a bracelet, and two diamond rings were tucked away in the coat pocket, CBS reports. The teen didn't know whose it was but really wanted to get these valuables back to them.

Luke and his aunt Taryn Souza knew they had to return these valuable items to their original owners, but all they had was the name on the jacket and the name of a corporation that no longer existed. "I work from home and I didn't do any work that morning because I was just obsessed with the idea of getting this back," Souza said. After a series of calls and some investigative work, the duo finally were able to deduce that the jacket was donated by Dave Kenney who was cleaning out his house.

"I had no clue what was in the jacket but what was in the jacket was some expensive stuff," Kenney said. Kenney was emotionally overwhelmed because it turns out that the items discovered inside the jacket have far more significance than previously assumed. Kenney has had a trying year. He lost both his mother and his wife. "It was the wedding ring I bought my wife," Kenney said. "It meant the world that my daughters got their mother's stuff back."

The valuables found inside the jacket belonged to these important women in his life, whom he lost. The meeting between the two went beautifully, with Luke feeling grateful for being able to help someone reunite with possessions that have so much emotional value attached to them. "Giving it back, like filled a hole in his heart," Luke said. "Like a week of blessings," Luke said.  

Dave found Luke a job as a thank-you, but more importantly, the teenager's good deeds led to the establishment of a new friendship. "This fine young man did the right thing and his aunt," Kenney said. "I totally appreciate what they did for me and my family." Dave even wrote about Luke on Facebook, giving a shout-out to his good deed. "There are good people in this world and this past year I could use some cheering up, this young man and his aunt are at the top of my list. I donated to Andy’s Attic and this young man found my wife’s wedding ring and other jewelry in the pockets and went the extra mile to get these things back to me," Dave wrote with gratitude.

"Luke is an exchange student from Brazil and a senior at South High School and planning to go in the Marine corps when he graduates thank you Luke and his Aunt Taryn Souza the world needs more people like you," he concluded.