A California woman made a stunning discovery after bringing home a set of sofas that she found on Craigslist: more than $36,000 stashed inside a cushion.
Vicky Umodu of San Bernardino was browsing Craigslist in search of furniture for her new home when she stumbled upon a free listing that included two sofas and a matching chair.
Umodu was initially wary of the free offer, telling ABC7, “I said, ‘Maybe it’s a gimmick. Let me call them.’”
Upon calling the family that was giving away the furniture, Umodu learned that a family member had recently died, so the family was selling everything at the late relative’s property.
“I just moved in, and I don’t have anything in my house. I was so excited, so we picked it up and brought it in,” Umodu said.
Once Umodu brought the sofas home, she closely examined their condition, and that is when she noticed something odd.
There was something bulky inside one of the sofa cushions.
“I thought it was a heat pad,” she said, but she quickly dismissed that theory because the sofas did not have an electrical cord.
Umodu unzipped the cushion and to her surprise, she discovered a stash of envelopes stuffed with thousands of dollars in cash.
“I was just telling my son, ‘Come, come, come!’ I was screaming, ‘This is money! I need to call the guy!’” Umodu recounted to ABC7. She added that she gave the money back to the family right away, saying, “God has been kind to me and my children. They’re all alive and well. I have three beautiful grandchildren, so what can I ever ask from God?”
Upon returning the money to the family, Umodu was told by the family that they too had discovered cash hidden throughout the house.
As a token of appreciation, the family gave Umodu $2,200 to buy a new refrigerator for herself.
“I was not expecting a dime from him,” Umodu said. “I was not.”
