Madore received the package along with three crosses she had ordered in memory of her son Christopher Medina who died July 15, 2009, in a traffic accident along the Carson River.
She purchased the crosses from Harriet Carter, a Pennsylvania mail order company.
“I gave one to Christopher’s father, to his grandmother, to my best friend, and kept one for myself,” Madore said.
The crosses arrived individually boxed with Christopher’s name on the outside.
Madore didn’t open the fourth box until she went to the site of the accident near the old power dam to place it with other items honoring her son’s memory.
“At first, I was very, very, very upset, so devastated. Then I got this really weird feeling. It was like angels – or maybe Chris – had to let me know this little girl needed to be remembered,” Madore said.
She contacted the company the next day, but was unable to find out who ordered the cross for Holly or what happened to the fourth memorial she ordered for her son.
“When I called the company, they said I should just throw Holly’s away, but I’m not going to do that,” she said.
Over the next several weeks, Madore said she made nearly 20 telephone calls across the country and used the Internet, Facebook, MySpace and every social network she could think of to try to track down the girl’s family.
She left several telephone messages, but no one called her back.
If she can’t find whoever ordered the memorial, Madore said she would place it next to her son’s cross which the company replaced.
“Chris was always very compassionate, and he would be OK with having her cross next to his,” Madore said.
Madore said the experience has taught her another lesson.
“It was an awakening to me and a reminder that I am not the only parent who lost a child. My heart goes out to her family. She’s just a little lost soul,” Madore said.