$11,000 was found in a handbag in a department store last week, but unlike many, who could have pocketed the money, one woman decided to do the right thing. A Massachusetts woman returned the handbag containing the money, and was rewarded for her honesty.

The $11,000 was found in a handbag by Cheryl Gavazzi, a Swampscott, Mass. woman who happened to be shopping in a local Marshalls department store. While wandering the aisles, she saw a Vera Bradley bad on the rack, and thought about purchasing it for herself. However, looking inside, she found a big surprise.

"I liked it, actually. I was thinking of buying it," she explained to the Salem News. "I wanted to see the size of it, and there was a roll of money in there."

That roll of money turned out to be $11,340, and along with it were other items: diapers, wipes, and medical records for some younger children. After walking around the store for about 10 minutes looking for the owner, she began to fear for her life, thinking criminals could have lost the bag, and would come looking for it.

"'This is a drug thing,' was my first thought," she told The Inquisitr. "'I'm going to get killed.'"

"I ran to the car, threw it in the front seat and locked my doors, looking for drug dealers following me," Gavazzi reiterated to The Boston Globe. "I'm a nervous wreck looking."

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After driving home, the woman remembered she had a hair appointment. She left the bag at her house, calling and warning her husband not to touch it until she could explain.

Once she got back from the appointment, she took the bag to the Beverly police, who eventually found the Lynn man who had lost it shopping. The money was to build a church in Guatemala, and after losing it, was worried about how to get the money back.

"He was wondering how he was going to come up with that money because it wasn't his money," Gavazzi said. "At that point, he was going to be selling his car if he had to."

He even gave her a small reward for her honesty.

It was "the right thing to do," Gavazzi added.