California Accountant Finds U.S. Olympian's Missing Tokyo Gold Medal in a McDonald's Trash Bag

YURI CORTEZ/AFP/Getty (L-R) Haleigh Washington and Jordyn Poulter pose with their gold medals

It's not every day you find an Olympic gold medal in the trash.

But that's what happened to Maria Carrillo, an accountant from Anaheim, Calif., who last week picked up what she thought was just an empty McDonald's bag just outside her office, according to The Washington Post.

Carrillo, 50, realized the bag felt heavy, however, so she looked inside and found a gold medal from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics amid hamburger and french fry wrappers.

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"My first thought was, 'This is so beautiful — is it for real?' " she told the outlet about the June 27 discovery.

Etched on the gold medal were the words "Games of the XXXII Olympiad Tokyo 2020," along with five Olympic rings and the Greek goddess Nike, she said.

Carrillo immediately called her husband, Noe Hernandez, 49, who alerted police.

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Not only was the medal real, but it had been reported stolen the month earlier by Olympic volleyball player Jordyn Poulter, who realized it had been taken from her unlocked car.

Before it was stolen, the starting setter of the 2020 U.S. Women's Volleyball Team had been enjoying showing friends her medal.

"People are curious about it and like to touch it and see how heavy it is," Poulter told the Post. "It was my way of sharing the medal with anyone who feels connected to sports or Team USA."

The medal also is linked to Team USA Olympic history — it is the first gold medal the women have ever won in the sport.

Team USA defeated Brazil in three straight sets (25-21, 25-20, 25-14) and was undefeated in the Olympic tournament. The Americans had previously lost to Brazil in the gold medal match in both the 2008 Beijing Games and 2012 London Games.

Poulter said she "felt instant regret" the minute she realized it had been stolen, along with a few other, less notable items.

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Carrillo told the newspaper she had no intent of keeping the medal, but she did pose for a few selfies before turning it in to police.

"We celebrate the good deed that this couple did in coming forward," Sgt. Shane Carringer, spokesperson for the Anaheim Police Department, told the newspaper. "An Olympic medal would be extremely hard to sell, and it's really of the most value to the person who won it."

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For Poulter, the "priceless" medal has sentimental value, even if the gold-plated version from the Tokyo Olympics features environmentally friendly recycled metal inside.

According to Coinweek, the gold medal is worth about $812, but Poulter says she's prepared to give Carrillo and Hernandez $1,000 as a reward.