ROMULUS (WWJ) -- What may have once been deemed a lost cause became the absolute opposite thanks to social media.
The saga of Austin -- a stuffed cow that was found at Detroit Metro Airport -- began on March 4 when another traveler discovered the toy on the floor in McNamara Terminal.
After having an employee at a nearby gate make an announcement about the lost toy and searching around for the owners to no avail, Commerce Township resident Mary Joyce eventually boarded her flight to New York with Austin in tow.
But instead of giving up, Joyce decided to start an Instagram account chronicling her journey with the stuffed cow in hopes of tracking down its family.
"Mary found me and looked everywhere for my person. Since we couldn’t find them Mary is taking me everywhere with her! Hopefully we find my friend - I miss them so much," one caption read.
Metro Airport came across the account and joined in, sharing some of Joyce’s photos and encouraging others to help make the reunion between Austin and his owners a possibility.
The post on Metro Airport’s Facebook page was shared more than 12,000 times, and several days later, a woman commented saying the toy belonged to her baby daughter Rae.
She then reached out to Joyce with photos of the adorable little girl holding Austin to prove they were the owners.
Joyce was able to get the family’s address and ship Austin back home to Ohio — where he received the warmest of welcomes from baby Rae.
A happy ending thanks to a person with good intentions and a little bit of internet magic!
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