Paul Humphreys, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 3 of 12

Greenfield, WI resident, Jessica, couldn’t resist the temptation to toss snowballs at her friends. A late January snowstorm provided ideal conditions for joining in the excitement. Sadly, afterwards when she got into her car, her wedding ring was gone! Jessica’s heart sank to her boots. Scouring the snow failed to turn up her precious ring. That’s when she texted me.

I learned the ring had been fitting loosely and so this, combined with the cold snow, contributed to the ring coming off her hand. But it could be anywhere! I arranged to meet Jessica on location and together we walked through the scenario, doing our best to recreate the events as accurately as possible. I scanned the lawn area where she had been standing but the ring was nowhere to be found. Next, I moved to the driveway where several vehicles were parked. This presented a significant challenge because the concrete was heavily reinforced with iron. Anytime I moved the detector near the driveway it was overwhelmed by the iron signals, making it almost impossible to detect a small ring. This called for drastic measures.

Checking the closest vehicles carefully, I made sure the ring wasn’t resting on them anywhere. Then I began shoveling sections of the driveway, moving the snow onto to the lawn area previously scanned. Scraping the driveway bare, right down to the concrete, I made sure the ring was not missed. I had almost finished clearing the driveway and was checking the snow with my detector when I picked up a faint signal consistent with that of a gold wedding band. Scraping off the snow a layer at a time, the signal grew in intensity. Finally, I probed the target area with a pinpointing device and landed on what turned out to be Jessica’s beautiful wedding ring! And the smile on Jessica’s face tells the rest of the story!

So glad to have found your ring, Jessica!

A late January snowstorm resulted in Wauwatosa, WI resident, Natalie Schneckloth, having an impromptu workout when she shoveled several inches of snow off her driveway and sidewalk. In the process and unbeknown to her, the stainless-steel clasp on Natalie’s Garmin watch let go. Only later did she discover her beloved watch missing.

The next day I received a text message from Natalie asking if I might be able to help. After a subsequent phone call and a line of forensic-type questioning, I arranged to meet Natalie on location. My detector of choice in this situation was an XP Deus 2 with a smaller 9” coil. It performs well in all kinds of terrain and conditions, both on land and in the water. Now, I’ve discovered, it works extremely well in snow thanks to its fast multi-frequency technology.

Scanning the banks of the long driveway failed to pick up any signals consistent with Natalie’s watch. But when I moved to the piles of snow lining her front sidewalk, a signal well above ground level invited further investigation. I subsequently probed deep into the snow using a hand-held pinpointing device which vibrates whenever it senses a metallic object. It didn’t take long to locate the source of the signal. As it turned out, it was Natalie’s lost, but now found, Garmin watch!

So glad to have solved the mystery of your missing watch, Natalie!

If you or someone you know has lost a jewelry item, perhaps even long ago, give me a call. I have over 40 years metal-detecting experience and specialize in solving lost-jewelry mysteries. Whether on land, under water or in the snow, chances are, your lost item is just waiting to be found.

A home Christmas party with friends and family is usually a fun time. So it was, for South Milwaukee hosts, Melissa and Matthew Graff. But then their joy turned to desperation when Melissa’s wedding rings went missing.

In the process of cleaning up after the party, Melissa vaguely remembered removing her rings and setting them on a kitchen shelf beside the microwave oven. The location was her usual place to put them. But when she returned the next day to put her rings back on her hand, the rings were nowhere to be found!

I received a phone call from Melissa on Monday evening and provided guidance and suggestions of places to search. We also began to establish a timeline of events as best as the couple could remember. Time, along with the trauma of losing such a precious item, has a way of blurring one’s memory.

My ability as metal detecting specialist is somewhat limited inside a home. Wiring, nails, screws, metal ductwork and pipes, make it challenging to isolate a small ring inside a house. An “estate search,” as we detectorists call it, can also be invasive. But I can assist forensically by narrowing down the possibilities.

For example, could the ring have gone down the kitchen sink? Had the garbage been taken out? Had they checked the washer and the dryer? Were pockets, clothing and shoes checked? Had they vacuumed the floor? Were there pets in the home? These and host of other questions help narrow the search areas. The couple continued looking that day without success. The next evening, Tuesday, I arranged to meet on location.

In reviewing the timeline, I asked if they knew when the last party guest left. Technology came to the rescue when a security camera at the front door logged a video and the time whenever the entry was breached. We watched as each guest left and noted the times. The last event, remarkably, recorded Melissa’s hand reaching up to the door. It clearly showed her wedding ring on her hand. And since Melissa had not left her home since then, the ring still had to be somewhere in the house.

I checked the sink drains, heat registers, under the stove and fridge. No ring. Then two large bags of garbage begged investigation. We placed a tarp out on the front lawn and emptied the first bag. I systematically scanned the contents with my metal detector but no ring surfaced. We did the same for the second bag. It was when we were just about to put everything back that Melissa’s ring suddenly appeared on the tarp amidst cookie crumbs and leftover donuts!

It was an emotional moment for sure! The garbage was scheduled for pick up the very next morning. Thankfully we had been able to search through the bags before then. As for how the rings ended up in the garbage, this will forever remain a mystery. Who knows! But Melissa and Matthew’s smiles tell the rest of this happy-ending story!

It was Saturday, November 5th 2022. Married only two weeks, Illinois resident, Ben D., was enjoying an afternoon with family and friends at a cottage and pond at the back of his childhood farm. Surrounded by several hundred open acres of harvested soybean fields, the location provided a perfect launch site for model rockets, a hobby enjoyed by Ben’s family. But the fun was short lived when Ben’s 14-karat wedding ring vanished.

But it wasn’t just any wedding ring. The ring was gifted by Ben’s grandfather prior to his passing away 4 weeks earlier. Indeed, a memorial service was planned in a few days. Now, the precious ring was lost!

The ring was fitting loosely on Ben’s finger and so he was planning to have it resized. Being newly married, however, he wanted to wear it. Ben thought for sure he would feel it coming off if that happened. Now, despite their best search efforts, the ring was nowhere to be found. Then two photographs showed up.

The photos were taken 5-minutes apart. The first showed the ring on Ben’s hand while the second photo revealed it missing. This proved to be solid forensic evidence of the general area when and where the ring had to have been lost. But the mud and soybean stocks provided the perfect hiding place for Ben’s ring.

As it turned out, Ben knew exactly who to call for help. A family member had previously lost a valuable wristwatch in a motorcycle accident. The watch was recovered by a member of The Ring Finders directory of metal detecting specialists. The memory buoyed Ben’s hopes. And so he reached out to The Ring Finders once again.

I received a brief text from Ben the next morning and within a few hours was on my way to Illinois from my home in Waukesha, WI. Ben met me by the barn and we drove back to the pond location. The vastness of the fields all around amplified the magnitude of the task at hand. « How on earth does one find a postage-stamp-sized ring in all that area, » I mused. But the two photos, combined with forensic analysis, state-of-the-art metal detecting equipment and 40+ years’ experience were no match for the lost ring.

The conductivity numbers for medium grade gold on my controller bore witness to the ring’s presence, barely visible among the soybean stalks. Holding up the ring, Ben couldn’t help observe, “That’s two for two for The Ring Finders!” I responded, “Don’t take this the wrong way, Ben, but I really hope we never see you again!” 🙂 The relief and joy on Ben’s face tells the rest of this emotional story!

It took the cooperation of several individuals to successfully recover Claudia Roedl’s cherished Arizona State University 2013 Class Ring. The 10 Karat gold ring went missing late Saturday afternoon, October 15th.

Claudia, an Elm Grove, Wisconsin resident and volunteer firefighter, was doing some fall clean up around her house. Three large bags of leaves and grass clippings bore evidence of a hard day’s work. It was towards the end of the day. The local recycle station would soon be closing. But Claudia made the short trip just in time and remembered shaking out the contents of the large bags into the heap of vegetative debris. It was on her way home that Claudia was horrified to discover her treasured ring missing!

Her mind went into immediate rewind mode remembering moments during the day when she got on and off her lawn tractor, filling recycle bags, raking and working to prepare for the coming winter. Most of all, Claudia pictured the formidable mound of foliage at the recycle station. Deep down, she fought hard against the idea that her ring, tangible evidence of four hard-earned education degrees, was lost forever.

I received a text message from Claudia that same evening. She had started to investigate renting a metal detector when she stumbled across The Ring Finder’s directory of metal-detecting specialists. Would I help? And where to start?

It was not clear whether the ring was lost at Claudia’s home or at the recycle station. Time was not so much an issue if the ring was somewhere in her yard, but if it was buried in the recycle mound, the clock was ticking… and fast!

A succession of phone calls through the night with some people in high places, made it possible for an attendant to open the gates early the next day, on a Sunday. Firefighters certainly do look out for each other!

Any hope that the pile of debris had been left undisturbed from the previous afternoon was shattered when we saw that the mound had been consolidated by a well-meaning worker using a 154-horsepower Hyundai loader with its 3-cubic yard bucket. Finding a postage-stamp-sized piece of metal in amongst such a massive heap of vegetative material was akin to finding a needle in a proverbial haystack. And was the ring even there?

The task was made significantly easier when a site superintendent showed up with what can only be described as every metal-detectorist’s dream tool—the Hyundai loader! Working together we used a divide-and-conquer approach, sifting through one bucket at a time. It was nearly an hour later and barely half way into the mound when I picked up a solid signal in my headphones. The data on my controller was likewise promising. But when I began to investigate, the signal vanished. Try as I might, I could not find it again.

Similar situations occur, I’ve learned over the years, when searching for targets under water. Gold, being a heavy, dense, metal, tends to dive when the area around it is disturbed. The porous vegetation, once moved, would allow a ring like Claudia’s to drop into the crevices beneath. I continued with this premise, carefully removing layer after layer of vegetation in hopes of ‘catching up’ with the target. Eventually the signal appeared again. And probing ever so delicately into the foliage, Claudia’s beloved class ring flashed its presence!

Claudia’s smile tells the rest of the story. But I would be amiss if I did not recognize the team of individuals whose cooperation and care for a fellow firefighter, made it possible. Sometimes it takes a team! As for me, I gotta get me one of those Hyundai loaders!

TESTIMONIAL: On October 15th while disposing of multiple barrels of leaves at the Village recycle yard, my graduate ring fell off. This was the beginning of the season so the pile was relatively small. The plan was to buy a metal detector but thought better of it due to my inexperience. Shot a text to Paul Humphreys and we met at the recycle yard the next am. With the assistance of my fire chief, we were able to get access before the public. We raked, shoveled, and even had a firefighter show up to use the backhoe to flatten out the pile that grew considerably since my departure the prior afternoon. It was a dirty, wet, smelly and exhausting task but Paul, myself and my fellow firefighters stayed with it. Paul found the ring – this ring was the culmination of (4) graduate degrees and could not be replaced. I am forever grateful for this man – Paul, you are one of a kind. CLAUDIA ROEDL (CLIENT)

An afternoon of playing Bocce Ball ended on a devastating note when Hartland, WI resident, Morgan, realized her engagement ring was missing from her hand. She and her fiancé looked and looked all over their lawn and garden area where they had played but the delicate ring was nowhere to be found.

Desperate, Morgan scoured the internet for a metal detector. That’s when she discovered The Ring Finder’s directory of metal-detecting specialists and my name. I received a phone call from Morgan asking if I might be able to help. After asking many forensic-type questions about her activities and the circumstances leading up to the loss, I arranged to meet Morgan on location that same afternoon.

The search was a long shot. The ring could have been anywhere, including inside the house. But one tiny bit of evidence surfaced in our conversation which proved to be a game changer. Morgan had taken the ring off her hand just prior to playing Bocce Ball. She had placed it into a pocket of her sweatshirt for safekeeping. At one point she tucked her cellphone into the same pocket and remembered feeling the ring when she did so. It was clear the ring was in her possession as she exited the garage to go outside. The ring had to be somewhere in the grass or garden where they played. But it was a very large yard area. Where to begin? Sometimes there is very little useful information for determining where to start a search. And so I made a random decision to begin searching at one end of the yard.

Morgan hovered nervously as my detector barked out the presence of metal in the ground. It would take some careful analysis of all the signals to isolate the presence of a petite gold ring. As it turned out, I was surprised to see and hear a signal consistent with Morgan’s ring hardly 15 minutes into the search. Visually, I didn’t initially see the ring in the thick grass. But investigating further, Morgan’s beautiful ring came to the light of day again! Morgan preferred not to have her picture posted here, but I can tell you, the smile on her face was priceless!

If you or someone you know has lost a ring or other jewelry item, contact a member of The Ring Finders. Don’t lose hope. They just might be able to put a smile on your face!

2020 was a rough year, but Judith and Dewey Sherman, married for over half a century, took comfort in knowing that they had each other.
That year, Dewey had lost his wedding ring while outside doing yard work near a lake. The ring that he had worn for over 60 years was gone. Dewey searched and searched, but his ring was nowhere to be found.

It could have been anywhere—under the murky depths of the nearby lake, lying between a crevice of rocks on the shore, buried in the grass or soil. Perhaps a crow or blackbird carried the ring far away. Crushed, Dewey resigned that he would likely never find his ring again.

Two years passed, and Judith had become ill. In 2022, she was receiving care at home from a St. Croix Hospice team including Chaplain Paul Humphreys. In addition to being a hospice chaplain, Paul also happens to be an expert metal detectorist, and he’s been recovering long-lost valuables for more than 40 years all across the globe.

One morning, during a spiritual care visit with Judith and Dewey, Paul learned about Dewey’s lost ring and knew he wanted to help.

With the couple’s permission, Paul returned to their home later that same day, offered up a silent prayer and set to work searching under the water with his SCUBA-rated equipment. A myriad of signals from the lake’s murky bottom bore testimony to decades of human presence—rusty iron, nuts, bolts, tin, nails, beer cans and a century-old spoon. But, after an hour of searching in the water, Dewey’s wedding ring failed to surface.

Moving onto the shore, an overwhelming array of metallic signals chirped their presence in Paul’s headphones. Ferreting a gold ring out from all the noise was challenging, even for someone with his knowledge and expertise.

After nearly three hours of searching, a faint signal on Paul’s detector begged investigation. Cutting a plug of grass about six inches deep, Paul turned the sod over and exposed the soil and roots beneath. The metal detector’s signal was now clear and crisp. Breaking open the clump, Dewey’s wedding ring suddenly flashed golden in the evening sun.

Returning to the house, Chaplain Paul discreetly slipped the ring to Judith. “I want you to be the one to give it to him,” he told her.
When Dewey appeared, Judith asked him to come and sit beside her. With her face radiating love and grace, she held out her hand to Dewey and opened it to reveal the ring she had given him 62 years before. The emotions of that moment, Paul said, “…were beyond words!”

62 years ago, that same ring had been exchanged along with their vows. Dewey and Judith had promised to love and cherish each other all their lives, “for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health.” Through Judith’s declining health, Dewey remained by her side until she passed away peacefully in September 2022.

Like Dewey’s ring, quality time with our loved ones is precious. Chaplain Paul and the caregivers at St. Croix Hospice dedicate themselves to helping patients and their loved ones make the most out of each and every moment.

This story is shared in loving memory of Judith Sherman.

For media inquiries or more information on St. Croix Hospice, contact Kelly Buethe at kbuethe@stcroixhospice.com or 612-409-0910.

Sunday, September 4, 2022, found Minneapolis couple and their family, Jason & Kate Helquist, enjoying Lake Butte des Morts in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It was a perfect weekend away with friends.

Anchored off shore in a boat, the family had taken to swimming in the lake shallows. But delight turned to disappointment when Jason’s platinum wedding ring went missing. He was performing a double-arm backstroke, churning up the water in a splashy escape from his teen-aged daughter’s playful attack. The force pulled the otherwise snug-fitting ring from his finger.

Kate contacted me the next day when she discovered The Ring Finder’s directory of metal-detecting specialists. Who knew!

Technology can be so helpful. Kate sent me a marked-up Google satellite image of the location. Calculating the search area, I determined it covered nearly the size of ten volleyball courts. On land, no problem. In water, definitely more challenging! I also learned the water was about 3 ½ to 4 feet deep, making a wading search feasible. However, finding a postage-stamp-sized object in a vast lake would require patience and an extra-careful grid search. There was little room for error.

We arranged to meet early, Wednesday, September 14. Kate left her home in Minneapolis in the wee small hours of the morning to make the 3 ½ hour drive to Oshkosh. I drove 1 ½ hours from my home. Upon arrival, Kate expressed how she was at peace about the outcome either way, but I could sense deep down she was hoping for a miracle. Clearly, it was more than just a ring.

A kind land owner granted access to the area from his lakefront home. Once in the water, I set out four marker buoys and began a systematic search using the latest water-detecting equipment from XP Deus. The usual targets were retrieved, pull tabs, bottle caps, fishing lures, coins, boat parts, shotgun brass from long-ago duck hunters. Lake bottoms tell so many stories. However, Jason’s ring eluded discovery.

Kate and a friend waited expectantly on shore. After three-plus meticulous hours, I consulted with Kate again and we agreed to expand the search area. It was not long after, Jason’s wedding ring lay glistening in my scoop!

Gear in tow, I waded back to the boat dock where Kate met me. Retrieving the ring from my pouch, I reached up from the water and placed it into her trembling hand. Tears flowed—the most-happy kind! A FaceTime call to Jason in Minneapolis revealed a smile that, like Kate’s, confirmed the deep love represented by a well-worn, lost-but-now-found wedding ring!

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, don’t give up hope. Let a metal-detecting specialist at TheRingFinders.com put a smile on your face!

A relaxing walk turned to panic the last day of August 2022. It happened when a bee suddenly buzzed Wauwatosa, WI resident, Jennifer Walker’s face as she neared a street corner. Impulsively, she removed her cap and used it to swat away the invading insect. Unfortunately, she brushed her ear in the process and dislodged her platinum/diamond earring. While the bee disappeared, so did her earring, a tenth-anniversary gift from her husband.

Jennifer, her husband and neighbors spent several hours on their knees combing through the grass and mulch in the area. The earring was simply gone. The frantic couple even considered renting a metal detector but were advised that such a small target would not likely register its presence. The next morning, I received a call from Jennifer and arranged to meet her right away.

Those familiar with metal detecting know how challenging it can be to find small stud earrings. The metallic volume is minimal. At times, it can take specialized equipment to register such a tiny target, especially when laying in certain positions. Using the matching earring, I was able to calibrate a detector that is normally used for locating placer gold, fine particles of gold in rocks and sand. The instrument is extremely sensitive but is also very small. It takes patience to cover the ground. I also used two other detection instruments including one that runs at a very high frequency and has a larger search coil. After nearly an hour of methodical searching, using three different machines, it seemed the earring was not where Jennifer thought it should be. And so, we expanded the search area.

A strip of grass on the opposite side of the walkway was systematically searched. Nearing the end of it, over thirty feet from where Jennifer did battle with the offending bee, a signal caught our joint attention. Upon closer examination, the precious earring came to light in the grass where it had landed the day before. Who knew it could have travelled so far! The smile on Jennifer’s face tells the rest of the story!

Sunday July 10th 2022, found Chesterfield, Missouri resident, Bill Thanner enjoying a welcome vacation with his wife and three children on the picturesque shores of Geneva Lake, near Fontana, Wisconsin. While snorkeling and diving for shells at Fontana Beach, Bill dropped some of the shells his children collected. It was when he reached down to grab them in chest-deep water, his platinum wedding ring slipped off his finger and disappeared into the murky water. Together, they tried snorkeling for the ring but it was nowhere to be found. Bill felt sickened to his stomach at the thought of losing his ring after 15 years of marriage. It was a sad drive home to Missouri.

Several days later, Bill’s mother, who lives some 800-miles away in the state of Georgia, heard a person on a local radio station talking about The Ring Finders metal-detecting services. She informed Bill, who in turn called me on Monday, July 25, a full two weeks after his ring went missing. Could I assist?

I arranged the 45-minute drive to Fontana Beach early the next morning. The beach was deserted at the time. Using markers Bill had sent to me via Google satellite maps, I systematically scoured the vicinity using my XP-Deus II SCUBA-rated detector. I found a collection of coins, a cross pendant and a cheap lady’s costume ring, but Bill’s platinum wedding band was nowhere to be found. I wondered, had someone already found it? After about an hour and half, I decided to expand the search area. That was when I heard a crisp signal in my headphones. The numbers on my controller screen told me the target was quite possibly Bill’s platinum wedding ring. As it turned out, it was!

I took some photos of the ring and texted them to Bill right away for identification purposes. Bill responded, “That’s it! Unbelievable… the Mayors Jewelry symbol and the missing ruby hole is mine for sure.”

I immediately mailed the ring to Bill from a Milwaukee post office the following morning. It arrived on Saturday, July 30th, just shy of three weeks since it disappeared in a Wisconsin lake. Bill texted, “Received! Unbelievable! Thank you!”

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, even years ago, chances are it might still be found. Don’t let its story end. Contact a member of The Ring Finders today.