The boy told his father, Michael Melvin, about the discovery in the vehicle, which the family had purchased in September 2020, but his dad had a difficult time believing the story was accurate.
“I was like, ‘Whatever.’ He’s 9,” Michael Melvin told WRTV. “I’m like ‘you found something, OK.’ He says, ‘No, Dad I really did.’ I walk over. I see it. I reach down. I say, you know, ‘What is this?’ And, I’m thinking it’s probably paperwork of some sort.”
The “paperwork” was indeed $5,000 cash.
The Melvins contacted the previous owners of the SUV, a South Carolina family. The family told them they had driven the Suburban to Florida for a cruise in 2019 and had misplaced the envelope of money during the trip.
The family insisted that Landon Melvin keep $1,000 of the money as a finder’s fee.
“It’s upstairs in my room. I’ve just been thinking and thinking of all the stuff I could buy,” Landon Melvin said.
Michael Melvin said the situation taught him a valuable lesson.
“Check floor mats, always,” he said. “We went back out, and we checked all the rest of the floor mats. I mean, what else is hidden in this vehicle?
“So, that’s one thing I’m going to definitely do when I clean vehicles out. That’s the first place I’m starting.”
