Dead postal worker leaves behind mysterious storage unit of undelivered mail -- and questions

Following the death of a former United States Postal Service worker, his family discovered a huge cache of stolen mail.

"About a thousand pieces of mail stolen by a U.S. Postal Service worker in Hawaii was found recently, and is being sent back in the next couple of days," KHON-TV reports. "The U.S. Postal Service said the stolen mail was mostly First-Class and Priority Mail and newspapers and magazines. The mail dates back from about 13 to 15 years ago. All of the mail was in sealed envelopes and packages."

Authorities also discovered 11,000 USPS return receipt postcards.

"Officials have not publicly identified the worker or where he or she worked, but most of the mail belonged to people living in the downtown Honolulu area," KHON-TV noted. "The U.S. Postal Service said most of the stolen mail has been returned, with some going to mainland addresses."

The USPS will add a label explaining the delayed delivery for all of the recovered mail now being delivered.