CAROLINE COUNTY, Va. – One Virginia family made a strange discovery over the weekend after they thought they had picked up two bags of trash from the road. It turned out to be nearly $1 million.

The Schantz family was on a drive Saturday afternoon, weaving through back country Central Virginia roads, when they came across some goats and pre-made storage sheds.

Emily Schantz says the car before them swerved and missed the bag, but they couldn't. They accidentally hit it.

So, they got out thinking someone had dumped trash in the middle of Broad Street. They picked the bag up, threw it in the back of the truck, saw another bag 15 feet away, threw that in the back of the truck, and headed into town.

Little did the family know, they were driving around for hours with nearly a million dollars in cold cash.

“It made a huge clunk noise," Emily Schantz said. "Inside of the bag, there were little packages that were little plastic bags, and they were addressed on the front of them, and it said cash vault."

The Schantz called Caroline County deputies.

"They found out that they'd been riding around all day with almost a million dollars in the truck," Caroline County Sheriff's Office Major Scott Moser said.

Deputies are investigating. They believe the mail bags belonged to the postal service and the money inside meant for BB&T.

How they ended up on the side of the road remains a mystery.

Moser paid the family a visit Monday.

"To have someone so honest and to give that million dollars back is exceptional on their part,” Moser said. “The two sons were there. I put the police lights on for them. But we're just very proud of them. They really represent this county well by being so honest."

“You do the right thing and return it, because it doesn’t belong to us,” Schantz said.