Hi portia38,
We appreciate you reaching out to us. We understand that you are looking to remove the Activation Lock of a device that you already returned to Verizon.
Please follow the steps below.
- "Tap Devices at the bottom of the screen, then tap the name of the device you want to remove.
- Erase the device. Because the device isn’t lost, don’t enter a phone number or message. If the device is offline, the remote erase begins the next time it connects to a Wi-Fi or cellular network. You receive an email when the device is erased.
- When the device is erased, tap Remove This Device, then tap Remove. All your content is erased, Activation Lock is turned off, and someone else can now activate the device."
You can use the article below as a reference.
Remove a device from Find My on iPhone - Apple Support
Take care!