Fort Worth man's stolen guitar found in Ireland

The case of a stolen guitar in North Texas turned into an international hunt.       

The trail of clues led a Fort Worth detective to Ireland where he had to make a personal plea to get the guitar back.

The 1943 Gibson guitar belonged to Daniel Massey's late mother and was his most cherished heirloom. Then, burglars stole it.

"It wasn't really the guitar that had so much meaning it was who had played it, who owned it,” Massey said.

Fort Worth police identified a pawn shop that had unknowingly purchased the stolen guitar and other items which also belonged to Massey. His hopes were up -- then dashed.

“It was an acquaintance of the store owner. He bought the guitar and sold it on eBay later on. I was able to track the buyer in Ireland,” said FWPD Det. Gerardo Gutierrez.

When Massey found out where the guitar had gone, he figured he would never see it again.

Gutierrez was moved by how much the guitar meant to Massey and decided to send a letter to the eBay buyer in Ireland.

That buyer in Ireland immediately returned the item he'd spent $1,200 for. 

"I want to thank you for all the hard work you put into it going the extra mile,” Massey told Gutierrez.

It all has Massey singing a tune of gratitude.

"He went above and beyond to help me recover what belonged to us,” Massey said.

Police have arrested a burglary suspect, Christopher Payne, 20. Another identified suspect is still at large.