Boston

Woman and Missing $40K Violin Located by MBTA Transit Police

A woman who allegedly took a $40,000 violin from an MBTA station has been located.

Authorities had asked for the public's help in finding the woman they believe took the instrument from inside Boston's South Station.

Amy Sims has been living a nightmare feared by musicians. The freelance artist was on her way home after playing in Chicago when she sat down at the MBTA station around midnight on June 10. She placed the valuable instrument behind her on a bench as she waited for her train.

Tired and distracted by her phone, Sims says she walked away without it.

"My violin could be anywhere," Sims said Tuesday. "It could be exposed to the elements, it could be trading hands. It could be in another state by now. It could even be in another country. Some owners never live to see their retrieved instruments and it's generations later that they come out of someone's closet."

Late Tuesday night, transit police confirmed that the violin had been recovered and that they would be reuniting it with Sims. It was unclear where the instrument had been found.

While the violin had been missing, Sims was playing a violin loaned to her. She said that the instrument is her livelihood.

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