A wayward Pepsi vending machine that has captured the hearts and imagination of social media is one step closer to being reunited with its owner.
Less than 24 hours after issuing a public appeal — complete with a photo of the overturned machine in the dirt — RCMP in New Brunswick say they’ve solved the cold case, so to speak.
READ MORE: Missing a vending machine? There’s one found in a N.B. farmer’s field looking for its owner
The soft drink dispenser was one of two initially found in a field southwest of Grand Falls, N.B. on Sept. 29. (That explains why there’s no snow on the ground in the picture, for everyone who has been asking.)
One vending machine was traced to a local Walmart, but the serial number on the Pepsi machine didn’t match reports of any stolen machines.
Police said “attempts to locate who may own the machine have so far been unsuccessful,” so they put out a news release.
Well, it worked.
A Pepsi representative reached out and it turns out the machine had been stolen from that same Walmart in Grand Falls earlier this year. The investigation has now been turned over to the town’s police.
“The RCMP thanks those who shared the information to assist us in the investigation,” the release said.
And share … we did.
Tweets have been flying since news broke of the discovery, with many questioning the machine’s origins.
There were also a few puns sprinkled along the way.
For those of you wondering, RCMP say the machines had been stripped of all contents and money. Neither worked.
With a file from the Canadian Press