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Stolen Heirloom Violin Returned to Rightful Owner

Windsor police have recovered an irreplaceable violin, one that had been passed down for generations.

A family heirloom thought lost to burglars is back in the hands of its rightful owner Tuesday.

Windsor police have recovered an irreplaceable violin, one that had been passed down for generations.

On Tuesday, owner Tim Lawrence got to play his family’s priceless, late 1800's French violin again.

Police sought special permission from prosecutors to return it to him just in time for him to perform at his cousin's wedding.

Lawrence thought the violin was lost forever.

Last month from his Windsor home where it was stolen, Lawrence performed what he had written for his cousin’s wedding, but on a different instrument.

“The waltz that I was playing on my mandolin when you dropped by that day should have been on this.”

Wednesday evening, the music rang out as it was meant to be played.

“Through your story, I saw the personal connection he had with this instrument describing it as like losing a limb," Detective Dave Blezard told NBC Connecticut.

It was a lively reunion the police department and Lawrence will remember forever.

“I still can’t understand what they were thinking when they took most of the things that they took," Lawrence said. He could have lived without his deodorant, even the pocket watch his wife gave them from Ireland before their marriage.

He’s thrilled to have his family’s fiddle again and he'll be singing the praises of the Windsor Police Department for a long time.

"It restores your faith that there is goodness around us," said Lawrence.

Police can’t yet say where they found the violin and other stolen items.

They say the investigation has come a long way, but there’s more work to be done to secure arrest warrants for those involved.

In the meantime, the Lawrence family has quite the story to pass down along with their priceless violin.

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