$22K Ring Sent Down Toilet Retrieved by Waste Water Crews in VA
A woman thought she lost her $22,000 ring down a toilet while visiting family in Virginia after it was knocked into the commode.
The unidentified woman was from Richmond and was Hampton at the time of the unfortunate mishap.
Local reports indicate that the woman stated she had taken the ring off to wash her hands when she noticed water on the countertop. She went to wipe away the water with a paper towel and knocked the valuable ring into a toilet that was already in the process of flushing.
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After a professional plumber was unable to recover the ring, Hampton Public Works was contacted and tasked with recovering the ring, according to WAVY.
Waste water operations crews were unable to find the ring at first, but decided to set up a filter that was able to trap the ring. Employees were able to sift through the muck at the waste water management headquarters to retrieve the lost ring.
"We cannot express enough gratitude to everyone who had a role in recovering this very special ring to us," the woman wrote to the City of Hampton. "It's not only the monetary value of the ring, but also the sentimental value that could not be replaced… Please do anything and everything you can to acknowledge their dedication, honesty and hard work."
The city gave each employee involved in the effort a $25 gift card through an employee awards program.
This is not the first story of a lost ring being found in recent months.
Billy Ray Harris, a homeless man in Missouri, returned a diamond ring accidentally left in his beggar's cup by a woman in a hurry.
"It seemed like a miracle," Sarah Darling told KCTV. "I thought for sure there was no way I would get it back."
She went back to find Harris and ask him if she had dropped her ring in his cup.
"She squatted down like you did right there and says, 'Do you remember me?' And I was like, 'I don't know. I see a lot of faces.' She says, 'I might have given you something very valuable.' I said, 'Was it a ring?' And she says, 'Yeah.' And I said, 'Well, I have it,'" Harris recounted.
