Can she call GM help for this case
I'm not sure if it's still a thing since they added the recycle bin, but I know they used to restore items you dropped mistakenly. Have your wife ask the GM if it's possible to use this one time restoration on the shells.
I know they won't do anything that alters quest or mission progress. If they investigate this as 'dropped items', at least maybe they can tell you exactly what happened that removed them from her inventory.
Worth a shot, good luck to your wife!