'Desperate' Couple Asks Public to Help Return Missing $4K

A young Manchester couple expecting their first child is hoping the individual who found a tan trifold wallet stuffed with their life savings outside the old Salem Market Basket will come forward and help put an end to a difficult couple of days.

Julianna Arsenio, who is eight months pregnant, said her boyfriend Richard Larochelle visited family members in Salem on Monday before paying some bills and shopping at Market Basket. After getting back into his vehicle, he realized he lost his wallet.

Arsenio, 24, a full-time student at Mount Washington College, said the wallet was likely lost in the Market Basket parking lot around 6 p.m. Monday. The wallet contained "over $4,000," a paycheck stub, a student loan check stub and various receipts, she said.

Arsenio and Larochelle, 26, are "desperate" because the money represents their entire savings. Arsenio said they need it to pay for the apartment they planned to move into on Nov. 1, as well as help them cover costs for their soon-to-be-born baby.

"Now we have no money and nowhere to live," said Arsenio, who said they must move out of their current apartment by the end of the month. "I am worried I will have no place or money for my baby."

Larochelle, a full-time Mount Washington College student who also works full-time, had over $4,000 in cash on him because their new apartment "only takes bank checks or money orders," and he planned to get a money order Monday night, according to Arsenio.

The couple has retraced the events leading up to the wallet's disappearance in the Market Basket parking lot. Arsenio said they have also reached out to police and viewed surveillance footage at all of the shops her boyfriend visited, although all their efforts have so far been unsuccessful.

The long, tan trifold wallet has a Red Cross first aid patch on the inside, as well as Larochelle's school, work and personal information.

Police told Patch on Tuesday that no wallets, money or items matching Larochelle's wallet's description have been turned in at the station.

Arsenio said she and her boyfriend aren't seeking any additional money from anyone. She said they just want to get the wallet and its contents back.

"My boyfriend works so hard for us and he is so disappointed," said Arsenio. "Please help us find his wallet."

Anyone with information about the wallet is asked to contact Arsenio at (508) 527-4997 or the Salem Police Department at (603) 893-1911, or to anonymously drop the wallet off at the police station.