Sheri Clayton knows what it’s like to have something missing.

For years, two of her sons struggled with addiction, and often times, valuable items would disappear from the house.

“I’ve had thousands of dollars in diamonds stolen,” she said.

A couple weeks ago, Sheri and her husband Brian were redoing some shelving in their Wareham home when they discovered a silver locket that didn’t belong to them. Now, she’s trying to find its rightful owner.

She believes the locket was stolen by her son, Joseph Prada-Ruiz, who is currently serving a five-year prison sentence stemming from multiple arrests over the years. Sheri said that Prada-Ruiz, 26, is a heroin addict, and had been breaking into houses and pawning the stolen items.

“It’s probably not something he could have pawned because it’s engraved,” she said. “I don’t know if that’s exactly where this piece came from, but whoever this belongs to, I’d like to find them. It’s like my apology for what my son has done.”

The silver locket is engraved with the names “Candy and Bill” and the date 12-25-75. On the inside, there is a picture of a couple, presumably Candy and Bill, with the phrase “Forever yours” underneath.

Sheri said she first took to Facebook to attempt to find the owners, but to no avail. She said that police said in cases like this, people often don’t even know their belongings are missing.

“I’m sure it's sentimental to them,” said Sheri.

Sheri said she’s been public with her two sons’ struggles because she wants to get the word out about addiction. She said Joseph started snorting Percocets when he was 21 after a friend urged him to try it, and from there, he got up to 15 pills a day. Then, a girlfriend introduced him to heroin, and he started shooting up.

She said Joseph started by stealing from the couple’s home, taking Brian's power tools, her jewelry, and more and pawning it to get the money he needed to support his addiction. Then, he started breaking into other peoples’ homes, selling drugs, and getting into repeated trouble with the law.

Her other son, Richard Prada-Ruiz, has had his own struggles with addiction, but has been clean for over two years.

“I wish more people would talk about the addiction,” she said. “If it saves a life, then it’s worth it.”

She said her son Richard is an example that there is hope for people struggling with addiction.

“That’s what people need to see—there is hope.”

“If I can, I’d like get one person back something, just as an ‘I’m sorry that my son did this,’” she added. “It’s important to me.”

Sheri said anyone with information about the locket’s owner can contact her at 508-295-5178 or bmctat2@gmail.com.