Jeff Cross, Author at The Ring Finders

DIAMOND RING FOUND IN MORGAN COUNTY, INDIANA

  • from Muncie (Indiana, United States)

In January 2021, a man reached out to me and explained a very personal situation.  He and his wife had an argument and in his anger he threw his beloved wedding ring out into his front yard.  The moment he realized what he had done the regret set in and he began his search.  It was dark and he was unsure of where it went so he was unsuccessful in finding it that night.

The next morning he pulled out his metal detector, the same detector that he had used countless times in the past while on metal detecting adventures with his parents, but the same one that he had put away several years before after they passed away and he lost his interest.  He searched for hours with his machine, while his wife walked back and forth slowly looking by eyesight.  After spending most of that day searching they were still unable to find his ring.  Two months later and still unable to forget it, he decided he needed to ask for some help from above, so he prayed about it. Shortly after he had the idea to search for someone to assist and found The Ring Finders online.  He contacted me through text and then by telephone and we talked about what had happened.

I could tell by his voice how much the ring meant to him and how much he regretted doing what he did, and told him I would be happy to make the 2 hour trip to help him find it.  My girlfriend/search partner and I arrived the next day and after discussing how and the where, I began to focus my search towards the front of the yard, in a different location than they had been searching.  Judging by his throwing style, the location, and the force he said he used, I believed the ring to be a in a different spot.  I started my grid pattern through the front of his yard, but quickly decided to search a dried up creek bed in front of his house as in my eyes it was the perfect location for his flying ring to end up.  While searching the creek I heard a signal, but the target was too deep underground to be his ring so I moved on.  The very next target I heard through my headphones was a beautiful, solid sounding tone that immediately made my ears perk up.  I bent down to look for what I had already suspected was his ring, and when I uncovered the leaves, there it was, a beautiful yellow and white gold ring with several diamonds, covered in dirt and muck but still as beautiful as ever.

I sent him a message asking him to come outside because I had another question.  When he came outside I tried to throw him off by asking questions such as how far he thinks he could have thrown it, and where else he thinks it could be.  I then pointed out the flag that I had put in place of the ring.  I asked him, “Do you see that flag? That’s how far you got it.”  Confused, he looks at me and says, “What do you mean?”   I tell him, “That’s how far you got your ring. Want to know how I know that?” as I pulled out the ring and put it in his hand.  The same ring that he threw into his yard out of anger two months prior that suddenly appeared in a stranger’s hand who he had only met a few hours prior.   The relief was instant for him.  He took off his hat, took a deep breath, wiped away a few tears and shook my hand, telling me he never thought I was going to find it and that he was hesitant to ask a stranger to look for his ring, but at that point he had nothing else to lose.  He went inside to get his wife while I gathered my gear.

I took some pictures of the ring and we talked to them for awhile afterwards learning about the home repairs he was working on and his detecting adventures with his parents. He then went inside only to return shortly afterwards.  He walked right over to me and handed me his metal detector.   The same one he had used to search for his ring, and the same one that he had used with his parents before they passed away.  I told him that I could not accept it, as it must mean something to him and that he could still use it for something in the future.  He told me it was meaningful, but said that he does not use it enough and would be honored for me to use it on a future search to help someone else like I helped him.  I was honored to receive it.   And it was one of the most meaningful gifts that I have ever received.

Found Ring in yard.

Another happy client!

Surprising him with his ring that had been lost for 2 months!

Relieved to have his ring back.

 

FOUND ENGAGEMENT RING IN ANDERSON, INDIANA

  • from Muncie (Indiana, United States)

In August 2020, I was contacted by a gentleman named Dan, whose wife had lost her engagement ring.  He explained that he and his family were enjoying a nice summer day in their backyard, playing volleyball while being hit with a sprinkler.  As his wife attempted to set the ball to their daughter, the combination of her hitting the ball and her wet fingers caused her engagement ring to go flying off into the distance and disappear from sight.  They immediately stopped the game and began searching the area to no avail.  For several hours they were on their hands and knees trying to find the lost ring.  The next day Dan had a friend come over and search with his metal detector, and after several hours he too was unsuccessful.  He decided he needed a new approach and after a quick online search he found me on the The Ring Finders website.  He called me and we discussed the situation.

The next day I made the thirty minute drive to his house and after hearing the story in more detail I began searching the area, starting with where she was standing, eventually covering the entire backyard and under his shed.  The search was made difficult by several overhead and underground power and cable lines, as well as a metal chain link fence running the entire length of his backyard, all of which could mask the ring’s signal.  After about two hours of my searching and not yet finding it he decided to call it off.  His thought was that since his entire yard had been searched with metal detectors,  and with a good possibility of one of his kids having already found it and keeping it, something she had done before, he believed the ring was no longer out there and we were probably wasting our time. It was dark, it was late, and so I reluctantly agreed.

After a few days of the lost ring randomly entering my thoughts, I decided to contact Dan and see if he would mind me coming out for another look.  He happily agreed and I made the trip back over there.  I decided to focus hard on certain signals, but move quickly.  I grid searched his yard again, in a different direction, and slowly searched the chain link fence with my pinpointer.  Still no ring.  I too was convinced at that point the ring was not in their backyard.  So I expanded my search to the neighbor’s yard, which started at least 20 feet from where she was standing.  We both agreed that it was unlikely that the ring could travel that far considering where she was standing and how she hit the ball, but it was not impossible, and we both really wanted to find her ring.  So I started my grid search of the neighbor’s yard and after about 20 minutes, I got the signal I was hoping for.  I bent down to check what my detector had found and there sat the ring, deep in the freshly mowed grass about 30 feet from where she was standing when she lost it.

Dan had gone inside a long time before that, but at the very moment I picked up the ring, he opened up his back door on his way to offer me a beverage.  Once he made his way to me, he handed me a bottle of water and to his shock and surprise I handed him his wife’s engagement ring.  We then went in to surprise his wife, who was equally shocked and happy.  I brought them out to show them exactly where I found the ring and after talking with them for a few minutes I made my way back home, happily leaving behind the gold that I had just found.

If you have lost something that you would like help locating, please do not hesitate to call! (765-215-4705)

 

Happy Customer!

 

Found Ring

Lost Wedding Ring Found in White River – Canoe County, Daleville, Indiana.

  • from Muncie (Indiana, United States)

In July, 2020, I received a call from a woman who was seeking help in locating her husband’s wedding ring which he had lost in the White River during a canoeing trip.   The family was from out of town and had rented a canoe at Canoe Country in Daleville, Indiana to spend a nice day traveling down the river.  As they were moving through some rapids towards the end of their trip, the canoe collided with a rock and her husband, in attempt to prevent their canoe from tipping, put his hand into the water and onto the riverbed as a brace.  It worked, but at the expense of his wedding ring.  They beached their canoe and searched visually for an hour or so before the disappearing daylight forced them to call off their search and make the long trip home without his wedding ring.  They quickly realized how difficult it was going to be to get it back as they lived more than an hour away from where it was lost and just finding the time to return was going to be hard enough, let alone actually finding his ring at the the bottom of the river.  They decided they needed to find another option and after a Google search led her to TheRingFinders.com she called me to see if I could possibly help find it.

After hanging up with her I knew this was going to be a challenging search.  They lived more than an hour away and with time constraints they could not meet me at the location.  The only thing I had to go off was a pinned GPS location giving me a general area, which may not even be accurate.  The location was 25 minutes from my house and only accessible by boat or kayak.  The time it would take just to get geared up and get to and from the location would be several hours at least.  The rising water levels from recent rainfall had undoubtedly caused some rocks to disappear under the water making it look a lot different than she remembers and hard to tell which rock they actually hit.  I was going to be looking for a very small object in a large river with just a general idea of where it could be.

Challenge accepted.

I recruited my girlfriend for company and the next day we got loaded up and got on the river. We knew pretty quick it was moving a lot faster and was a lot deeper than she had described the day he lost it, but continued on anyway. After asking her some more questions through text and her sending me a drawing of what I called the “treasure map,” I was pretty sure I was at the right location.  I began my search and quickly found out that the area was layered with tightly packed rocks and my scoop was not at all helpful, forcing me to use my hands to feel for whatever my detector was picking up.  I was only able to find large items that I could feel with my hands, including a few cell phones and even a firearm, but sadly no ring.  The river was also filled with massive groups of kayakers, canoers, and tubers who were having to try to avoid me, as well as the many rocks in that part of the river.  I figured I would not add one more obstacle to their navigating and called it a day.  We postponed the search and for the next hour or so we watched people try, and sometimes hilariously fail, to navigate the rapids.

That night, knowing my scoop was worthless, I decided to make an “underwater viewer” using plexiglass and a leaf blower tube, and a bigger one for my girlfriend using a trash can.  This allowed us to see whatever I was hearing with my detector without having to try to scoop it, or go under the cold water with a mask.

The next day, with our new devices, lower water levels and less traffic, we headed back out.  After about 2 hours of grid searching the river I heard a loud, solid sound blast through my headphones.  I quickly looked through the viewer and saw what my metal detector had found.  It was his ring, three feet deep and wedged between two small rocks at the bottom of the river.   I quickly pulled it out from where it had sat for several days and got out my phone to snap a picture.  I sent her the picture asking if it was her husband’s ring and was met with a very quick reply:  “OMGness!!!! YES!! That’s it!! Thank you!! Tears….both of us!”  I met her the next day in between our two cities and handed her back her husband’s ring, the ring that she put on his finger when they got married, and the ring they both thought was lost forever.  Quite the test for my first search through The Ring Finders, but it was well worth it.

If you have lost an item that you think I might be able to help you find, please do not wait!  Call me today!  (765-215-4705)

Satellite view

Satellite view

Searching the river

Found Ring

Underwater viewer

Underwater viewer 2

Items found during my search

Treasure Map