On Thursday, May 26, 2022, thunder, lightning and torrents of rain joined forces to demand the attention of long-time Elm Grove, Wisconsin resident, Michael Kelnhofer.
As Michael looked out into the storm he suddenly remembered that one of the down spouts from his roof was plugged. Not wanting to risk a flooded basement, he sprang into action. Grabbing a ladder from the garage he raced outside and began removing wet leaves and debris from the rain gutter with his hand. He threw each handful out into the garden area behind his house. It was only after he retreated back inside that Michael realized his wedding ring was missing! But it wasn’t just any wedding ring. The ring belonged to his dear father who had passed away four years prior. It was a precious keepsake! Indeed, Michael’s mother had given it to him when he was married. Now it was gone!
Michael and his wife searched frantically. They tried using a metal detector but the ground only emitted confusing chirps and cackles. Michael even hired a company to check the underground drainage from the house to the road in case the ring had gone down the drain. All to no avail. That’s when I received a text message asking for help. But as it turned out, I was preparing to leave the country early the next morning and was unable to respond immediately as I normally would do. And so, I arranged to search for Michael’s ring upon my return.
On Saturday, June 4th, I met Michael at his residence. As with all searches, I take a forensic approach, asking lots of questions. He showed me where he obtained the ladder and the pathway he took and the general grass area where he had thrown the debris from the roof. I noted the presence of bushes and foliage in the vicinity, places a ring might have gotten hung up. It is a matter of systematically eliminating where the ring is not. 
For those interested, on this search I used an XP Deus II detector and 9” Coil. I had pretty much searched the entire backyard area and was moving towards the side of his house when I encountered a signal consistent with a 14k ring. Parting the thick grass, I confirmed its presence!
I left the ring in its place and called Michael over. Giving him a hand-held probe (pin-pointer), the kind we use for isolating targets, I showed him how it responded to the wedding ring on my own hand. He was impressed. Then I directed him to use the probe and check the grass area around our feet. When the pin-pointer sounded off it didn’t take long for Michael to locate his precious keepsake. The smile on his face tells the rest of the story.
And it is those emotional moments that make ring finding so meaningful!
TESTIMONIAL: Paul, first I want to say thank you for finding my wedding ring. There aren’t many items I have of my father that means as much as his wedding ring. Thank you for taking the time to search my yard and most importantly being so passionate about finding my ring. Thanks again Michael
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