A family who lost their home in Asheville, NC Hurricane Helene Thanks to the work of a diligent police detective, he was able to recover photographs of his deceased sons.

Like New York Times The Moss family home reportedly floated down the Swannanoa River during a late September tornado, reported Saturday, Nov. 9. It cost the lives of 102 people in North Carolina As of Tuesday, November 12.

Just days after their home was demolished, the Mosses returned to the site looking for photos of their son, Tommy James Moss, who died of a genetic disorder in his youth. The family spent 10 days sifting through the muddy wreckage and recovered only a few items, such as a figurine from the movie. The Lion King.

Mary Moss, Tommy’s mother, initially thought other photos and mementos reminding her of her late son had gone with the house.

“It was just defeat,” Dallas Moss, Mary’s son and Tommy’s younger brother, who joined the search, told the newspaper.

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But all is not lost. On Thursday, October 17, the Asheville Police Department shared the following images: Facebook Dozens of family photos were found in the aftermath of the storm.

“Although the water was strong enough to collapse buildings, uproot trees, and bend and tear steel, it could not erase the memories in these photographs. “The Asheville Police Department therefore requests that these be returned to their rightful owners,” he wrote.

Aspect New York Times Reportedly, someone alerted Dallas to the Asheville Police Department’s Facebook post, which included archival photos of Moss from his childhood, including one of the boys, Dallas and Tommy, and a neighbor.

Photos of the Moss family were among the many photographs found by Asheville Police Department Detective Sam DeGrave, who was involved in the evacuation and rescue of people the day the hurricane hit Asheville. As the days passed, as he sifted through the debris, DeGrave found images of Asheville families in the mud, as well as some on tree branches. With the help of other officers, he collected nearly 300 photographs.

“It was at that point that I realized it was about saving something for someone who had lost everything, rather than using it as a clue to find a missing person,” DeGrave told the newspaper. “When you started looking for photos, they were everywhere.”

In addition to the Mosses, once-lost family photographs of other Asheville residents were also recovered through DeGrave’s efforts.

“It was both bittersweet and sweet to be able to focus on these photos and the fact that I had them,” Mary Moss said in a statement to the press. “God works in mysterious ways.”

PEOPLE has reached out to DeGrave and Dallas Moss for comment.