First off, if the party losing the money doesn’t have proof it’s his, they both have a claim to it.
If he had serial #’s of the bills, it would help his case, but I seriously doubt he does.
SSS applies here. Pick up the dough, let him prove it’s his.
He reported it and had circumstances to match. Then, presumably they found the pic. No need for serial numbers to match, I wouldn’t think.