im Carlin was intrigued last week when he found 150 pounds of memories in a trash bin at Willard Beach.

The photo albums he discovered were full of names, faces, stories and records. But they didn't provide the one thing that Carlin, a local private investigator, really wants -- an answer.

"I just can't see, for the life of me, why this would have been dumped in a Dumpster instead of at a home," Carlin said.

Carlin got a call from a man he knew through his investigative services who told Carlin he believed there was some stolen property in a western trash bin at the beach.

The photos were at the bottom of an almost-empty bin -- another strange sign that something was off in their disposal, Carlin said.

"This was specifically dumped by someone who didn't want it found," Carlin said. "There's no reason why all of this couldn't have been given to some relative."

He has devoted hours of his free time to looking for clues as to who the books' owners were. He has made several phone calls and is waiting to see if anything comes of them, Carlin said.

The albums -- about 25 in all -- detail the lives of their owners and various Battle Creek residents. Some of the photos go back 65 years, Carlin said as he pulled out a black-and-white family photo from the 1940s.

The albums also document family trips, especially to places in Florida. When faces are labeled, often they don't have last names associated with them, he said.

He has made calls to Hawaii, Florida, Georgia and Maryland seeking someone who might have a clue, Carlin said. He has listed some of the names he found in the albums on his blog, www.justiceformary.blogspot.com.

If you have any information about these photo albums or their owners, call Carlin at 753-1181 or email him at justinianlaw@sbcglobal.net.

Sarah Lambert can be reached at 966-0589 or slambert@battlecreekenquirer.com.

http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/a...WS01/105280313