The case of three missing guns from an SUV driving through Columbia has been resolved with a happy ending.
Rhonda Defiore and her husband, Trent, of Carriere, had picked up the valuable firearms from the road while driving up Mississippi 43 toward Columbia near the Pearl River-Marion County line and turned them into the Pearl River County sheriff.
The owner of the weapons, Christopher Brupbacher of New Orleans, had offered a $5,000 reward, but Rhonda Defiore initially declined it.
Capt. Rita Pickering, the chief of detectives with the Columbia Police Department, said Brupbacher called Defiore and thanked her for finding and returning them.
“He said, ‘It’s so nice to know that there are still good people out there. I want to give you a reward,’” Pickering recalled. “I spoke with her afterward and reiterated that it was a blessing to be involved and witness such humble, honest people.”
What happened next impressed Pickering and helped keep her faith in humanity.
“It’s such a great sign at Christmastime,” she said. “He went to her home and gave her $5,000 cash for the reward. She had no idea there was a reward for the guns. He didn’t have to do that. She knew nothing of the reward. Both parties were so full of integrity.”
Here’s the full back story.
Brupbacher, who owns some hunting property in the area, was driving in an SUV on Nov. 24, and the lift gate that hadn’t latched came open.
Three weapons fell out, a 300 Mag Blaser deer rifle with a scope, a 20-gauge Beretta youth auto shotgun and a 20-gauge Benelli youth auto shotgun.
The Defiores spotted something in the roadway near the Pearl River-Marion County line.
“As they approached, the items appeared to be long guns,” Pickering said. “She and her husband stopped, picked up the guns and continued on to Columbia. When she returned home, she called the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Office and a deputy responded in reference to the found property. The serial numbers were run to see if the guns had been stolen.”
The guns had not been entered into the national system because the owner had not sent the serial numbers to Pickering at the time.
“The deputy logged the firearms and took them to the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Office for safe keeping,” Pickering said. “I obtained the serial numbers from the owner the following day.”
In the meantime, Pearl River County investigators were curious about the three guns that had been turned into them.
“The following Monday, Investigator Kristin Thibodeaux of the PRCSO contacted me about the weapons,” Pickering said. “I was able to ID them, so I went to the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Office and met with Chief Investigator Mark Ogden and Thibodeaux. I identified the three firearms and brought them back to the CPD.”
Pickering said the episode delivered a special message for the holidays.
“It should give us all hope,” she concluded. “It’s so true, so genuine and so full of honesty and integrity.”
