SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Illinois State Treasurer Mike Frerichs is embarking on a mission to return eleven Purple Heart medals to their rightful owners.
Frerichs says while difficult, the effort will be based on other unclaimed property missions through the state’s “I-Cash” program.
“The eleven Purple Heart medals that we have were held in eleven different bank safe deposit boxes,” said Frerichs.
One of the medals was retrieved from a safe deposit box at an unnamed Peoria financial institution.
“Banks in the past will hold on to the property for about five years. They will send letters to the last known address. But, in many cases, someone has either moved, or passed on. Maybe someone moved to a different address and didn’t get forwarded to their new address. Maybe they were deceased, and it wasn’t forwarded on to heirs.”
Last names and last known cities connected to the family that rented the safe deposit box containing the Purple Heart medal (source: Illinois State Treasurer):
Cawthon, Received, Nov. 1, 1992, Portland, Oregon
Wilson, Received, Nov. 13, 1995, Chicago
Burns, Received, Nov. 5, 1997, Homewood
Moore, Received, Oct. 17, 2001, Peoria
Smith, Received, Nov. 18, 2002, Oak Park
Gorski, Received, Oct. 30, 2003, Darien
Tuttle, Received, Oct. 25, 2018, Decatur
Alexander, Received, Oct. 26, 2018, Channahon
Isbell or Shayer, Received, Oct. 31, 2018, Chicago
Steward or VanHasselaere, Received, Oct. 31, 2018, Round Lake
Wiest, Received, Oct. 23, 2019, O’Fallon
The Treasurer’s office says an electronic claim must be made at www.illinoistreasurer.gov/icash.
Unlike other unclaimed property situations, Frerichs says the medals will not be sold or auctioned off.
