According to the Kansas City Star, Tyler Schaefer isn’t just a ten year old kid, but a treasure hunter. He enjoys exploring, digging into nooks and crannies, searching for change in coin slots. This sense of curiosity led to what has the potential to net him and his father $10,000.

I say “potentially” because the money technically isn’t theirs yet. Cody Schaefer, Tyler’s father and him were staying at a Kansas City airport hotel, when Tyler did his regular routine of checking his area and exploring. His father laughed, asking his son what he was doing. His son simply responded that you never know what you’re going to find. Tyler’s search of the hotel room led to him opening a drawer that contained $10,000.

When his son first came across the money, Cody thought he had just found a few dollars. When he went to check the drawer himself, he saw stacks of money, which he would count out to be $10,000. After checking to see if the money was real, Schaefer and his son had a decision to make. Along with deciding what to do with the money, Schaefer tried to run scenarios through his head that could have caused $10,000 to be left in a hotel room drawer. Drug deal, or someone who had left it after a business transaction?

Upon further contemplation, Schaefer decided to turn the money into a couple of off-duty police officers who were working security at the hotel. According to the police, the most money they had seen turned in, in the area, was around $1,000. Even they couldn’t devise a scenario that could have led to that much money being left in a hotel room.

As of yet, no one has come forward to claim the money and the hotel hasn’t received any calls asking about it. According to Missouri state law, the money will be given to the Schaefers if no one comes forward to claim it in seven months.

It just goes to show that having a curious mind and exploratory nature can really pay off. You never know what you could find by just looking.

[Credit: Kansas City Star]