Thanks to help from the public, a California family got back its car stolen Sunday in Springfield.

Wayne Souza, his wife and daughter were traveling from Willits, Calif. to Seattle last weekend for the 16-year-old daughter's surgery.

On July 25, the family stopped at the Super 8 Motel in the Gateway area to visit with friends. The keys were inadvertently left in the unlocked car.

When the family returned a few minutes later, they found their 1998 blue Subaru Legacy wagon had been stolen.

The family's clothing and other items needed for a 17-day stay in Washington were in the car, along with the daughter's medical records.

On Tuesday afternoon, a Eugene resident who had seen a story about the stolen car on TV called the Springfield Police Department, stating that he saw the vehicle on Matt Drive in Eugene.

Police recovered the Subaru. Electronics, cash and a purse were missing, but items including medical records, prescription drugs and luggage were still in the vehicle.

The family returned to California after the ordeal.