A family-owned pizza shop is hoping someone will help solve a mystery after a Bible that sat inside the foyer for nearly two decades has gone missing.

The owner is making a heartfelt plea for its return.

"Maybe someone needs it more than we do," owner Tony Joseph questioned.

Inside Patti's La Cucina in White Oak, one item always stood out: a Bible that had been resting on a ledge in the foyer long before the current owner took over.

"It's been here for decades," Joseph said.

Last week, the Bible disappeared.

Joseph believes someone just walked off with it.

Surveillance cameras didn't catch the thief, and no one has come forward.

"We're hoping it comes back. We're optimistic," he said.

The shop posted the plea online, and the response from the community has been overwhelming.

Customers are furious, calling it not just disrespectful but shameful, and its absence is deeply felt.

"It was located right here. It was huge. People would come in and turn the page and read something. It was really cool. So when I took over, they asked if I was going to leave the Bible. I said absolutely, why wouldn't we?"

For Joseph, it's not about punishing the person who took it.

In fact, he says, if the person who took it needs a Bible, he will gladly buy one for them.

But this Bible in particular belongs to the shop and the community that's cherished it for nearly 20 years.

"Bring it back, maybe not even tell us you brought it back. Sit it there so we won't even notice it. If you need it more than us, we'll accept that and we'll purchase another one," Joseph said.

Joseph is offering a cash reward for its safe return.