Vehicle Storage Question?

An individual purchases a car in one county of Virginia. He then moves said vehicle across the state and puts it in storage facility. The new owner does NOT register the car in his name but leaves it in the previous owner’s name. A number of years pass. The previous owner then receives notice that the vehicles is abandoned and that s/he must claim it within 15 days.

The individual who is storing the vehicle refuses to speak with anyone without the title. The title, as per law, as given to the individual who purchased the vehicle, and is in default, and did not register it. Therefore, the condition of the vehicle is unknown, its worth is unknown, the amount owed, if any, is unknown. There is no certainty that the vehicle is the correct vehicle, by VIN.

The vehicle is stored 5.5 hours away from the original owner. It would be impossible for the original owner to go there, with the paperwork, on such notice. This means that the storing individual can scrap or auction it off, without the owner’s consent.

Is the owner responsible for the vehicle since s/he did not store it in the first place? Is it legal for the storing individual to refuse to speak about the vehicle to the “legal” owner? What are the “legal” owners’ rights in this case?

Finally, what would you do in this situation?