Missing bear returned: Woman gets teddy bear with late mother’s voice recording back

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — A heartbreaking story finally has a happy ending.

A woman who was moving in Vancouver had a bag of items stolen. Inside, along with electronic and other important items and documents, was what looked like a simple teddy bear.

But the bear, which was irreplaceable to Mara Soriano, was the one thing she wanted back as it contained a recording of her mother’s voice. Her mother died of cancer in 2019.

“At hospice her voice was different. Much softer. Not the mom I grew up with. That bear is the last memory I have of her speaking in her normal voice,” Soriano told CBC.

News of the stolen bear went viral, even getting the attention of Ryan Reynolds who offered a $5,000 reward for the bear’s return.

Soriano searched everywhere for the bear, accompanied by CBC news crews.

Surveillance video was also released of the bag that contained the bear in hopes of getting the stuffed animal back.

This week, two men found the bear and returned it to Soriano at the CBC studios. They said they took the stuffed animal from the man who took the bag.

CBC reporter Deborah Goble said the recording is safe.

Cox Media Group