Raleigh Police Hope To Reunite Wedding Photos, Owners
Posted February 5, 2003 4:32 a.m. EST
RALEIGH, N.C. — For most people, no photos are more important than wedding pictures. Not getting them can be devastating.
Eleven cannisters of film and more than a dozen photos have been turned over to the Raleigh Police Department. All are wedding pictures, most taken at least two years ago, by photographer Cletus McLaurin.
Five On Your Side first heard of McLaurin's name 2½ years ago. After our first story aired in September 2000, dozens of couples complained they paid McLaurin thousands of dollars for wedding photos they never received.
All of the complainants said McLaurin gave them nothing but excuses:
"His place was burglarized," said Sheila Stallings.
"Newborn child in the hospital," said Mark Wright.
"He was in the hospital," Stallings said.
"His daughter was sick," said Lauren Harris.
"His wife broke her toes," Harris said.
"The lab messed up the photographs," Veronica High said.
Negatives now in the hands of Raleigh police came from labs that said McLaurin never picked them up. Several brides came across the negatives in a desperate search for their pictures.
The women gave the negatives to police, who are now trying to find the brides in the photos.
One of the pictures belongs to Sheila Stallings -- a bonus to the stack of pictures Five On Your Side convinced McLaurin to turn over to Stalllings' mother two years ago.
"We're just trying to get pictures back to people," said Tom Ditt of the Raleigh Police Department. "That's one special day in life that maybe we're going to have a little extra wedding present for them."
Police printed a print from each roll, hoping the people who hired McLaurin will come forward to claim their photos. Those prints can be seen by
clicking here
.
To claim a photo, please call Detective Holly Rinaldo at (919) 858-0120. You can also contact
Five On Your Side
.
Previous Stories:
Battle Over Wedding Photos Heads To Small Claims Court
Raleigh Photographer Speaks Out About Clients' Complaints
Couples Say Raleigh Photographer Kept Them In The Dark
He Says, She Says: Raleigh Woman Wants Her Wedding Pictures
