Couple searches for wedding photos lost in taxi

Family says photographer left hard drive in NYC taxi, lost all photos

 BALTIMORE —A pair of newlyweds from Baltimore whose wedding photos were lost when the photographer left her laptop in a taxi is desperately searching for the people who may have them so they can get them back.

Lacy Pica met Tony Nugent in Canton in 2010, and they married in October. At the time, they thought that moving the planned outdoor ceremony out of the path of a Nor'easter would be their biggest wedding hurdle, but that was before they got a call from the wedding photographer weeks later explaining that the hard drive with all the images was gone.

Since then, Jeanne Stringer and John Pica have been poring over the few pictures they have of their daughter's wedding. They can't see the proofs because of the loss.

"They were in the photographer's hands. She took a cab home and mistakenly left a bag in the car," Stringer said.

The incident happened in New York City, where Lacy and her husband currently live. The pair filed a police report and hired a private investigator to follow the trail.

"From what we understand, the next people who got into the cab took the things with them. That's basically all we know," Stringer said.

Lacy Pica called pawn shops and launched a social media campaign to get the photos back. So far, it's only opened the door to con artists, according to her mother.

"The photographer has been scammed by two people who called and said they had the photos and the equipment. She sent both of them money so that they could mail the equipment back, and of course she never heard from them again," Stringer said.

The Better Business Bureau recommends including specifics in your photographer's contract, such as the length of time it will take to receive the images after the event. The BBB said a shorter window leaves less room for error. It said to also specify how the images will be formatted and archived and include a failure to perform clause that addresses refunds.

The newlyweds got their money back, but they're more concerned about their memories, so they're cobbling together cellphone pictures and videos taken by guests.

The father of the bride is holding out hope that the pictures will surface.

"There is a Santa Claus, so I think they're coming somehow," John Pica said.

The couple is offering a $2,000 reward for the return of the pictures, no questions asked.