PSA: This search and recovery took place within the jurisdiction of the National Park Service (NPS). Metal detecting is strictly illegal in all units of the National Park System, including national parks, national monuments, national historic sites, national battlefields, and national seashores.
The Ring Finders member obtained approval and authorization to perform this recovery before arriving on location..
- Prohibition: Under federal regulation 36 CFR 2.1, possessing or using a metal detector, or even carrying an assembled or unassembled detector in your vehicle, is against the law in NPS areas.
- Archaeological protection: The Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) and the Antiquities Act prohibit digging, disturbing, or removing any historical or cultural resources from federal lands.
- Penalties: Violations can result in steep fines, seizure of equipment, and potential criminal charges or imprisonment.
Request for Assistance
Wednesday
Early Wednesday morning I received this message:
“Good morning Brad, my parents sent me your link from Ringfinders after my fiancée lost her engagement ring while we were taking engagement photos on the Blue Ridge Parkway on Saturday (10/31). I don’t know if you travel out that far; it was at the Black Mountains Overlook. I have a lat/long marker. We searched for two days with no luck, but the photographer caught the moment it flew off her finger, so we know the approximate place. Anyway, I just thought I would reach out. It was fully insured, but the sentimental value is something else, and my fiancée is having a difficult time. Look forward to hearing from you.”
— Matt
I replied, “Absolutely,” and asked my routine questions, most importantly whether the drop area was a pedestrian area or secluded. He said they were alongside the paved road, a couple hundred feet away, and that it was not a high-traffic area. That removed any urgency or fear that someone might happen across the ring.
I asked Matt to forward any photos so I could research the likely search area. I also told him that because the search area was under National Park Service jurisdiction, I would have to request a permit, since even possessing a metal detector is prohibited there. The more detail we could gather, the better the chance the authorities would allow our search.
Matt explained that they had searched the immediate area thoroughly, even putting the leaves into buckets so they could search the ground and then search through the leaves. They also acquired a metal detector from a national tool supplier and scanned the area, but did not find the ring.
The photos he sent were clear, but they were pictures of the originals displayed on a computer monitor. I asked Matt to get the original RAW photos from the photographer if he could. He said he would have them later that evening when he returned home.
I then contacted the Park Service’s administrative offices, explained who I was, and told the story from the beginning: we had photographic proof and 100% certainty of where the ring would be, and the only obstacle was the ground cover, many inches of fallen leaves. I said I understood the prohibition on metal detectors and that NPS has the ability to grant an exception. The representative was very kind. After I left a detailed message on the permits coordinator’s voicemail, he gave me the number for the Rangers’ communications center and transferred me. I repeated all of the details to the communications center, and she said a supervisor would return my call.
Thursday
Matt forwarded the photos Thursday morning, and they were amazing. I noticed right away that some were rapid-fire shots. Luckily, those shots all showed the ring in flight, which gave me the idea of stitching them together into an animated image.
By reviewing the animation, I could see the angle and height of the ring’s apex and work out its trajectory. I wrote Matt that I was highly confident: I had identified a small search area, and with that level of detail we had checked all the boxes to get approval for the search from NPS.
The Assistant Park Superintendent called and said she was impressed by the level of detail we had gathered. She thanked me for following NPS rules and gave me the direct number for the Captain who supervises the Park Rangers. She said she would contact him, explain the situation, and confirm that we had authorization to search and to use the metal detector. He would coordinate and communicate our activities to the other rangers. She also asked me to wait an hour before calling, to give her time to speak with him.
After telling Matt we had permission, I called the Captain. He had spoken with administration and said it would be no problem. We agreed that I would contact the communications center to let them know when I was on property and beginning the search, and again when I was finished. He instructed me that if I was approached by a Ranger or park staff, I should have them contact him directly.
Matt was happy with the update. He wrote that the insurance company had requested a copy of the police report of the loss to process the claim. A man of faith, he wrote, “Praying that you’re able to find it and I can cancel the claim process.”
I asked for the ring’s specifics, since all I knew was that it was gold. The reply was 14k, size 6. Because I have a ring of those exact dimensions, I could test with it and know exactly what I was looking for.
Friday
Throughout the process I understood that Matt’s fiancée did not know he had contacted me or that a ground search was in the works. Before starting my commute, I asked whether he had said anything to her and whether he planned to surprise her once we recovered the ring. I told him I was highly confident and felt like a kid on Christmas Eve. He had not said a word, as he didn’t want to get her hopes up.
The commute to the search location was 2.5 hours from Forsyth County, and the drive was beautiful: leaves changing, mild temperatures, and Carolina blue skies. When I arrived, I walked to the spot I believed was correct and sent Matt a photo, asking whether they had left two large piles of leaves. He had, and he explained that was where they had been searching the leaves.
Begin the Search
There were no landmarks along the side of the road to base my search area on, so I placed four orange cones to square off the area. Two went by the road, approximately 20 feet apart. The other two were squared with the first pair, as close to the edge of the embankment as I could place them without them falling, so I could still see them from below road level.
With everything set, I first searched to rule out the flat area. Then I moved to the hillside and scanned as far as I could reach while standing on level ground between my markers. Next I sat down and slid down the hill so I could scan farther downhill.
BEEP BEEP! It was exactly the VDI and sound I was looking for. The signal was at the far reach of my detector, so I had to slide down even farther to reach the spot. I used my pen pointer to locate it, then carefully lifted the leaves and scanned again to confirm the signal remained. With the leaves gone and the ground exposed, I still didn’t see a ring, but the soil was very soft. I pushed around with the pen pointer, which exposed the ring. “Found it!”
Good News
Still sitting on the hillside, I sent Matt a message asking if he was sitting down, then sent a photo of the ring. The ring had been pushed into the ground. I can only assume that someone stepped on it during their initial search, pushing it below the surface. The hillside was very steep and slippery, and crawling on all fours was the only option.
The Scare
After sending my messages to Matt, I was still on the hillside when I heard something walking in the leaves behind me. Before I could turn around, I heard an exhale and then felt something cold and wet touch the back of my neck. As I was rising to launch myself downhill, I spotted a dog wagging its tail out of the corner of my eye. This could have been bad, but the Lord was watching over me, I am sure.
After I got to level ground, a pickup pulled up, and I realized the driver was a hunter and the dog was his. He told me it was bear season and the dog was out of his area. I explained how we had met, and he laughed a little.
Returning the Ring
I met Matt on my way home and returned the ring. His plan was to surprise his fiancée and call me afterward so I could tell her the story. She was so very nice and appreciative. I wish I could have seen the look on her face, because that is why we Ring Finders do what we do.
Thank you, Matt, for trusting me to find your treasure. Thank you to Matt’s mother, who found TheRingFinders.com and encouraged him to call. And thank you to the National Park Service for your part.
Another happy ending! If you have lost something, or you know someone who needs assistance, please reach out to TheRingFinders.com and locate a member in your area. Even if no one is in your immediate area, reach out to the closest one, as many members don’t mind traveling to help others.
