Woman's $10K flute recovered years after she lost it

BOSTON (WAND) - A woman who lost the a flute valued at $10,000 has recovered it nearly a decade later. 

Heidi Skyler saved for years to buy the instrument in high school. She grew up playing the flue and had a passion for it. 

Bad luck arrived in January of 2012, when she left it in a cab on Saturday night after playing at a piano bar. Desperate for its return, she called the cab company and was told to call back Monday. A police report was filed, but Skyler didn't hear back. 

She never thought she would see the flute again. 

"It was like losing somebody," she said. "For me, because that was my whole life, playing that instrument." 

In 2021, a cab driver walked into a music shop to get the same flute appraised. A friend of Skyler's brother happened to be working at the time and recognized it! 

He sent a text to the brother that say, "Hey, I think I just saw your sister's flute!" 

After years of wondering what had happened, Skyler was beyond relieved to have the instrument returned. 

"It always bothered me so much. I just always wanted to know, did it get melted down? Did somebody sell it? Nope. Just the same guy in the cab had it the whole time," she said. 

Police reported they plan to seek a complaint against the cab driver who had the flute for receiving stolen goods. That driver hasn't been identified.