Eyeglasses, earrings, elk meat: Inside the lost and found at Denver's airport

DENVER — More than 200,000 people pass through Denver’s airport each and every day, on average, according to FlyDenver.com . And in the rush of travel, many people leave a whole lot of stuff behind. That’s where the airport’s lost and found department comes in.

A belt. Dell laptop. An earring. Two IDs. A Chromebook. The list reads just as random as it is. That is a morning drop-off, courtesy of a TSA security agent, at the window of Denver International Airport’s main lost and found window.

Simply put, there is a lot of "lost" to go around at DIA.

“We get probably around 150 to 200 items a day,” said lost and found supervisor Noelle Aguirre.

The majority of those items come from the TSA security checkpoints, but other things that are found on concourses, on the train, in the parking garage or the bathrooms also end up here.

Aguirre took Denver7 on a tour of the department, including the drop-off and claim window, the shipping department, and the large room that serves as a sort of warehouse for yet-to-be-claimed items.

“We probably say like the top five are bags, IDs, glasses and electronics and jewelry,” Aguirre said.

Along with the usual suspects are the barely-ever-claimed belts, which simply go into a big bin, and the tool box with drawers full of drivers licenses.

Then there are the crazier, more oddball items.

Right now, in the lost and found collection, they have a circular saw, which was left somewhere outside, and a battery to a forklift.

Aguirre said the department has found elk meat, urns and other packaging containing human remains, and dogs in the parking garage. The last two involved calls to the county coroner and animal control.

But the name of the department isn’t just "lost" — it’s lost and found.

“We're always trying our best to return these items back to the owner,” Aguirre said.

Are you missing something? Here are the steps to get it back: Go to FlyDenver.com and search for lost and found. There you can file a claim for something you lost in a common area or at TSA. If it matches with something the department has entered into their database, you are notified and can come pick it up. Another option is to try the window in person, located on level 1 of the terminal, near doors 111-113. DIA’s lost and found keeps items for 30 days.

Keep in mind, things left on airplanes, at gates, or bags lost by airlines are the responsibility of the individual airline.

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