Those who lost their belongings in a string of burglaries from July through October are being told that law enforcement officers may have them.

Sgt. Mike Wilson, a detective for the St. Joseph Police Department, said officers recovered enough items to fill three vehicles from burglaries that took place in Andrew and Buchanan counties, including St. Joseph. Though he has an idea as to whom some of the items belong, a lack of reported serial numbers or identifying marks is making it hard to get the rest back to their owners.

"Say, if a person gets a TV stolen, they don't know the serial number or model number," he said. "They know that it's a Sony TV. But who knows how many Sony TVs are out there?"

The 103 recovered items include Sony PlayStations, Nintendo Wiis and flat-screen TVs, Mr. Wilson said, but those claiming them have to prove they are the rightful owners.

"It's like if a car is stolen, they have to have the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) to be able to prove that's their property," he added.

Mr. Wilson said he often has seen people who lost property not recover it because they can't prove they own it. He encourages people with items lacking serial numbers - or even if they have them - to mark their items so they can be identified if they're lost or taken.

"I've seen people with permanent markers put their initials on them, or the last four numbers of their Social Security," he said. "The best thing they can do is take pictures of their property. ... It shows, 'This is what I have.'"

Since the burglary cases are still under investigation, the items haven't been released. However, the detective division has contacted people it believes could be the rightful owners.

Mr. Wilson encourages people who haven't reported missing items from burglaries to contact the detective division at 271-5336.

Andrew Gaug can be reached

at andrewgaug@npgco.com.