Paul Humphreys, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 6 of 13

March 20, 2021 was destined to be a fun-filled day for Brenda Teela and Jim Nachreiner at the popular Lake Geneva Ziplines & Adventures near Lake Geneva, WI. Ziplining was a new experience for Brenda, one she will never forget. The sheer thrill of riding the tree tops was unlike anything she had experienced. But the day took a sudden and heart-wrenching turn when her highly-sentimental bracelet vanished from her wrist. The silver bracelet was a Christmas gift from Jim.

Fast forward 8 months.

I received a phone call from Brenda asking if I might help find her cherished keepsake. Initially, the prospects of trying to locate such a small target in 100-acres of Wisconsin woodlands was daunting—a long shot. But after cross-examining Brenda’s account of her activities in a forensic manner, it was Brenda’s own careful analysis and detective work that made the search a viable one, even after all those months. A photo clearly showed the bracelet on her wrist at one of the zipline staging points. Then another, taken a short while later, revealed it missing. The bracelet had to have been lost somewhere in between. This photo evidence gave a reasonable glimmer of hope.

We arranged to meet on location November 21, a gorgeous fall-day. Stephanie and Dana, the managers working at Lake Geneva Ziplines & Adventures, together with their helpful staff, were most cooperative. Their kindness spoke highly of the company’s care for its clients.

We began probing the forest floor near one of the staging points. Jim worked ahead of me, carefully moving fallen branches. The remains of several sunglasses, camera lens caps, a company camera, some small change and other metallic debris quickly filled my pouch, evidence of zipliner traffic over many years. A couple hours into the search found us beneath a long swinging bridge, one of the amazing features of the Lake Geneva Ziplines & Adventures property. It was there that a promising signal from my search coil invited investigation. It was Brenda’s bracelet! It lay in a clump where it had fallen from the bridge some 25’ above. A broken link bore evidence of what happened, answering so many questions in Brenda’s mind.

The smiles tell the rest of the story! It was a tearful and emotional reunion to say the least.

Thank you, Brenda & Jim, for the privilege of searching for and finding your precious bracelet.

And our heartfelt thanks to the wonderful people at Lake Geneva Ziplines & Adventures whose cooperation and kindness made it possible.

You can check them out at:

lakegenevaadventures.com.

A bitter cold wind ripped across the vacant lot beside the Oconomowoc, WI home of Timothy and Wendy Thorn. The drop in temperature was a jarring reminder that winter would soon be upon its residents. It was also the night before Halloween, October 30th. Family members gathered together for the weekend, including newly engaged Olivia Pszeniczny and her fiancé, Jordan White. Olivia proudly wore the token of her marriage commitment, a one-of-a-kind rose-gold ring with a sunburst of diamonds radiating from its center stone. She pinched the ring often and spun it around her finger as though doing so would magically speed up their wedding day.

It was late in the evening when they disbursed. Olivia and Jordon walked together with other family members towards their car in the darkness. As they cut across the empty lot, Olivia’s ring suddenly slipped off her finger in the cold, disappearing into the tall grass. Horrified, she immediately dropped to her knees and began feeling for the ring in the darkness. Others soon joined the search. Flashlights appeared. Finally, the cold and darkness militated against all their efforts and the decision was made to resume looking the next day.

Someone placed marker flags in the general area to serve as a guide. At one point, half a dozen people raked and fingered through the grass on their knees. But the precious ring eluded these efforts. A metal detector was even purchased. Surely this would be the tool that would bring Olivia’s ring back to the light of day! But hope turned to disappointment when the machine was overwhelmed by all the iron in the ground. The empty lot had previously served as a dumping ground for construction debris.

My phone rang early in the afternoon, Halloween night. Would I come and assist? I had family supper commitments but arranged to meet the Thorns on location early in the evening. When I arrived, Wendy met me and together we viewed the search area with all its marker flags. I listened carefully while she explained the chronology of events. Piles of raked grass bore testimony to many hours spent scouring the ground. The team had sure worked hard. They were also extremely thorough.

This thoroughness prompted me to search outside the marked area even though the narrative seemed to indicate Olivia was within the flagged boundary when the ring came off her hand.

The sun had just dipped below the horizon. This, coupled with the wind, sent the temperatures plummeting. “I should have brought my gloves,” I thought to myself. But then I turned my full attention to the myriad of signals emitting from my XP Deus High-Frequency search coil. The ground was loaded with iron. This was concerning because iron can mask precious non-ferrous signals, the kind that gold produces. Concentrating on the numbers and depth readings, I abruptly encountered a signal that invited further investigation. The grass was quite long and even after brushing it backwards and forwards in different directions, I was not able to see anything resembling a ring. But when I rechecked my signals and pinpointed the exact location, the bottom of the ring suddenly appeared! Funny, the icy cold suddenly disappeared at the same time!

I took a photo of the spot before touching the ring, evidence of how well it was camouflaged in the grass. Then I went to Tim and Wendy’s home and knocked on their door under pretense of needing to ask more questions. When Jordan appeared, I presented the ring and said, “I’m thinking this is the ring you all have been looking for!” The heaviness that was so apparent in the eyes and voices of the family only a half hour before, lifted immediately! I received hugs, then more hugs.

Olivia soon arrived and I was the recipient of yet another giant hug amidst tears of joy and gratitude! And the smile on her face tells the rest of the story!

This family certainly did everything possible to find the ring. I was very impressed with their efforts, even down to buying a metal detector. In the end, it was a matter of experience and the benefit of a fresh pair of eyes on the situation that contributed to a successful recovery.

Thank you, Timothy, Wendy, Olivia and Jordan, for a most-memorable story. This is my 76th recovery since coming to Wisconsin. But it sets a record for the number of hugs I’ve received! May the story of Olivia’s ring continue for many, many happy years. And what a gorgeous ring it is!

Forty-four years ago, Waukesha, Wisconsin residents, Don and Lynne Holle built a house out in the country. At the time it was far from municipal water and sewer services. The solution was to install a traditional septic tank which has worked just fine. But now, all these years later, the tank needed servicing and the company would not come until the tank’s access hatch was unearthed. The problem was, neither Don or Lynn could recall exactly where the tank was located.

Don dug around in various places, hoping to land on the concrete surface, but to no avail. He recalled how the hatch lid bore a metal handle. Maybe he could locate the handle if he rented a metal detector. It was then he stumbled across the ring finder’s website and my blogsite. I received a phone call from Don with his unusual request. It was not so unusual really. After all, we are metal-detecting specialists. Whether the metal is ferrous (iron) or non-ferrous (precious metals such as gold, silver, etc.), my metal-detection equipment is suited for the job. Indeed, just the night before I had helped a man locate his iron survey markers for his property. And so, I agreed to meet Don at his home and try to find his long-lost septic tank.

Shoulder-high trees had begun to sprout in the area where the tank was located. This meant using a small coil, one that could be maneuvered around the new growth. The ground was full of ferrous targets, etc., wire and old rusty fencing nails. Eventually, I checked out a little indentation in the ground not far from the entrance lane and when I did, a significant ferrous signal showed on my controller screen and howled its presence in my headset. A little bit of digging soon revealed what Don was hoping to find, the metal handle on the lid of his long-lost septic tank!

No, it wasn’t a gold wedding ring. However, I must say, the smile on Don’s face matched many a smile from clients whose rings I’ve found! Mystery solved! And now the trusty old septic tank can be serviced for many more years to come.

If you need a metal detector and are considering renting a machine, try giving a member of the ring finders a call. He or she has the equipment and the experience to find what you are looking for. Let them put a smile on your face!

Sunbeam Kids, Inc. is a volunteer-driven nonprofit organization dedicated to projects that make it easier for kids and families to volunteer together. Its Lakeshore State Park Clean Up event September 19, 2021, on the shores of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, was a wonderful Daddy-daughter opportunity for Wauwatosa resident, David Jadin. The weather was picture-perfect also.

David and his family only recently moved to the area from Green Bay, Wisconsin, to start a pediatric dental practice in Elm Grove, PlayWell Pediatric Dentistry. Sunbeam Kids is their main charity partner. And so it was a most-appropriate outing for David and his little girl.

The volunteers first assembled together for a group photo not far from the historic 1872 Milwaukee Pierhead Lighthouse. After photos were taken, David knelt down in the grass with his 4-year old little girl and applied sunscreen lotion to her little arms and face. In the process he removed his 18-karat yellow gold wedding ring and tucked it lightly between his sock and shoe for safekeeping. It was his intent to retrieve the ring promptly, not to leave it there. The ring was precious, having been blessed by David’s childhood priest growing up and who was now passed. Shortly, they commenced a 3.5 mile walk together along the Lake Michigan shore, picking up trash along with the other Sunbeam Kids volunteers. It was a memory-making event. But it wasn’t until he and his daughter got back to the car that David realized, to his horror, his ring was missing!

I received a text message from David late Sunday afternoon and arranged to meet him on location by the Lighthouse. When I arrived, David was on his hands and knees combing the grass where the group photo had been taken earlier. We quickly traced his initial activities and the route he and his daughter had taken when they started out. Using my XP Deus wireless detector, I was immediately assaulted by an abundance of metal in the ground, evidence of nearly 150 years of visitors. Tuning my equipment for a recent loss close to the surface and for high-grade gold, I was able to filter the cacophony of signals and listen specifically for David’s ring. In my mind, I was preparing for a long evening; after all, three and a half miles is a long way!

Beginning in a low-laying area with longer grass, I proceeded to eliminate the spot where the group photo was taken. Barely 5 minutes had gone by when a distinct signal invited investigation. Parting the grass with my foot, there lay David’s ring! And the smile and relief on David’s face tell the rest of the story!

Thanks, David for the privilege of locating and returning your wedding ring! The story of your Sunbeam Kids outing with your precious daughter is one I’m sure will be told many times. I for one, will be reminded of your story every time I see the red Milwaukee Pierhead Lighthouse. And I wish PlayWell Pediatric Dentistry in Elm Grove, WI. every success in the years to come!

Melrose, Wisconsin resident Alisha Koxlien is usually delighted to be greeted by Louise, her beloved Miniature English Bull Terrier. But as bad luck would have it on Friday the 13th while showing Louise at the all-breed AKC dog show in Union Grove, near Racine, Wisconsin the exuberant Terrier accidently dislodged one of Alisha’s diamond stud earrings. It wasn’t clear if Louise swallowed it during the encounter, if it was in the grass by the kennels, or if the earring fell out on a subsequent half-mile walk.

I received a phone call from Alisha the next day. Her insurance company encouraged her to find someone with a metal detector who might search for the diamond stud. Subsequently, a friend of hers found me on https://theringfinders.com/ website and we arranged to meet at the Racine County Fairgrounds that evening.

Even for experienced detectorists, such tiny pieces of jewelry are extremely challenging to find. Many metal detectors and probes will not register a stud earring, especially if it is positioned vertically. It’s like trying to find a needle in the proverbial haystack.

I arrived on location, met Alisha and appraised the situation. Alisha showed me the matching earring and I used it to calibrate my equipment. The signal was just a whisper on my device. Being the area was a long-established public fairground, it was loaded with metallic debris (foil wrappers and aluminum pull tabs) which made the search all the more challenging since these targets easily overshadowed the earring’s faint hiss. For good measure we sat Louise down on her hind end and scanned her white belly up and down in case she had swallowed it. Louise was clear of any metallic objects inside her, but she sure loved the attention!

Working on my hands and knees, I began to systematically scan the grassy location where the dog encounter occurred. It was the thick crabgrass variety, the kind that hides stud earrings. After 40 minutes I had only covered about 120 square feet, the size of an average kitchen. It was painstaking. My headset was howling with trash signals and so I was mostly watching my controller closely for a razor-thin line on the non-ferrous side of its scale.

Suddenly, the image I was hoping for flashed across the screen, prompting investigation. I parted the grass with the precision of a barber and there, pressed into the ground, lay Alisha’s diamond stud earring! The smile on Alisha’s face tells the rest of the story! But you know, I also got the clear sense from Louise that she too, in her doggy way, was relieved!

Thirteen months is a long time! But for Greenfield, WI resident, Steven Mantsch, the agony of losing a highly sentimental ring in the waters of Tichigan Lake near Waterford those many months ago was still very fresh. The one-of-a-kind ring was hand made by his brother from an old silver dollar. Steven described how the coin’s stamping was still visible in places; United States of America… Now the ring lay somewhere in the deep mud amongst aquatic plants by a public boat dock. It happened like this.

Returning from a boating excursion, Steven stepped out of the boat onto the dock and brushed back his hair with a wave of his hand. As he did so, the precious ring slipped off his finger, bounced off the dock, hit a boat moored in the next bay and ricocheted into the water. Steven, along with friends in the area, tried unsuccessfully to extract the ring from the mud using nets and scoops. But the mud, some twelve to twenty inches deep, had swallowed the heavy ring, making even metal-detection challenging. To make matters worse, an aquatic plant harvesting machine later had been at work in the same area, stirring up the lake bottom. The ring certainly seemed lost forever.

Steven called me in response to seeing an advertisement on my car. It was a long shot, but would I consider trying to search for his ring? We arranged to meet on location, Saturday, July 31st. Beginning at 9:00 a.m., I entered the water and immediately sank into the mud. The suction constantly threatened to remove my shoes, making navigation a huge challenge. Aquatic plants wrapped around my coil making it almost impossible to “sweep” in the usual way.

Then there were the relics of bygone years, beer cans from before the age of pull tabs; the lake bottom seemed alive with metal. After a couple hours, I knew it was time to change tactics. I discarded my trusty Minelab Excalibur Detector and using a hand-held probe that vibrates in response to metallic presence, I began to systematically poke the mud, reaching down with my fingers and retrieving the targets. It was painstaking work, but finally, after 2 more hours of probing and feeling in the mud and weeds, I felt Steven’s precious ring and pulled it up to the surface! The silver was blackened after being in the water so long, but I quickly spotted its unmistakable lettering, “United States of America…”

This search was a most-challenging and memorable one! The time and the conditions seemed to join forces in preventing Steven’s ring from ever being discovered. But in the end, Steven’s perseverance coupled with technology, experience and patience, triumphed!

News of the find spread quickly around the public boat dock. Some of the same boaters and neighbors were present when Steven lost his ring over a year ago. It was a magic moment for sure. As for Steven, a glimmer of tears betrayed his joy and relief!

If you or a loved one has lost a ring, even a long time ago, chances are the ring is still there. Don’t give up hope. Steven didn’t.

This search and recovery experience was definitely a family affair! July 4th weekend found Minnesota resident, David Stoesz, relaxing on the dock of his brother, Michael’s home on Wisconsin’s beautiful Nagawicka Lake. An urge to take a swim reminded David that his Tungsten Carbide wedding ring needed protection. He had heard horror stories of people losing their rings in the water and so he carefully removed it and placed it in his hat for safe keeping. But as luck would have it, a wind gust blew the hat and ring off the dock and into the water! The ring disappeared in the deep mud and aquatic plants, its dark tungsten color working like camouflage making it impossible to see. Repeated attempts to locate the ring failed to bring it to the light of day.

I was contacted by David’s brother-in-law, Nate, who discovered me on The Ring Finders directory of metal-detecting specialists. He reached out on behalf of David. Nate didn’t want to give up on the ring and asked if I might try and find it. I made arrangements with David’s brother, the home owner, to do a search. Three weeks later on July 25th we met.

As is often the case, the area around the dock was full of metallic debris—old beer cans, rusty bolts, screws, pull tabs and aluminum, evidence of nearly a century of cottage life. Tungsten Carbide is a unique metallic composition which can make metal detecting even more challenging. It masks other metals. After nearly 45 minutes of searching and sifting through the mud and weeds, David’s wedding band finally lay in my sieve amongst shells and stones. It blended in so well it nearly escaped my notice. Michael, my helpful companion throughout the search, received it vicariously on his brother’s behalf.

It was clearly a case of family coming to David’s rescue. And I was privileged to have a part in keeping the story of David’s wedding ring alive and well.

Not many people have their very own beach-volley ball court in their backyard. But Delafield, Wisconsin resident, Travis McGoldrick has one. He was playing volley ball with his kids the evening of July 12th when a spike of the ball dislodged his wedding band. The ring just vanished! Despite raking and sifting through the sand, searching the areas close by, even renting a metal detector, the ring remained in its hiding place.

I received a text message from Travis on Monday, July 26th asking if I might help to locate his ring. That evening I arrived at his home and together we walked behind the house to view the volley ball court and surrounding grass, woods and gardens. Did the ring leave his hand in the forward stroke or flip behind? Either way, a heavy gold ring can travel quite a distance when propelled by such force. In my mind I prepared for a long evening.

Travis wasn’t certain about his ring’s metallic composition, whether it was made of gold, silver, platinum, or one of the newer titanium or tungsten carbide models. Knowing this information helps calibrate my equipment. Travis left me to start searching while he went to the house to double check with his wife about the metal. “She would know,” he told me.

Assuming the ring was made of gold, I started searching the sand court with my XP Deus wireless detector, beginning at one corner. Immediately, I encountered a heavy presence of electromagnetic interference from buried power lines in the yard. It took some fine tuning to overcome the noise. Such interference had hindered Travis’s search efforts with his rented machine.

Imagine my surprise when less than 10 minutes into the search an appropriate signal reached my headphones. More surprising was when It turned out to be Travis’ ring!

Travis returned from the house and confirmed his ring was 14K white gold. I responded by holding out his ring saying, “Well, that description matches this ring!” His wife of 15-years soon joined the celebration. And Travis’ smile tells the rest of the story.

Testimonial:
“Lost my ring playing sand volleyball with my kids. After multiple amateur attempts to find the ring with a rented metal detector I contacted Paul & he found it in the sand after 10 minutes. Wonderful guy and would recommend him if you find yourself in need of his services!”

A weekend camping trip May 21-23 on the spectacular Lake Michigan shores of Kohler-Andrae State Park, near Sheboygan, WI, was just what the Dr. ordered for Sussex resident, Trevor Olsen and his bride of 6 years. It was a last get-away before moving to the state of Washington the following week.

The perfect time together suddenly turned to despair when the couple was packing up to leave. That is when Trevor realized his wedding ring, a family heirloom, was missing from his hand! He recalled taking it off and tucking it into a flap inside the tent the night before. Perhaps it flew out when they shook the tent as they prepared to leave. A frantic search in the grass and surrounding woods ensued but to no avail. The ring had vanished.

I received a phone call from Trevor early the next morning. I was not feeling well and so reached out to other Ring Finders in the area but nobody was available on short notice. Time was of the essence with the pending move and all. Trevor was desperate. And so I made the decision to drive up with my wife so she could help with the driving as needed.

Arriving an hour later, I located the camp site and pulled in behind Trevor’s car. Trevor was waiting anxiously. I followed him up the hill to the location where the tent had been pitched. I could still see the tent’s imprint in the grass. Returning back down the hill to my vehicle I proceeded to set out my equipment and snapped a tool belt/pouch around my waist. But as I reached down to pick up my trusty XP Deus detector, a glimmer caught my eye on the driveway less than an inch from where my search coil rested on the pavement. I instinctively picked it up, examined it and handed it to Trevor asking, “Is this your ring?”

The look of shock and disbelief on Trevor’s face confirmed the amazing discovery was indeed his wedding ring!

Now, how it ended up on the driveway so far from the camp site will forever remain a mystery. It could have just as easily ended up under my vehicle out of sight. Strange how these things happen sometimes.

I am thrilled, Trevor, to have recovered your precious ring and in such a memorable way. I wish you and your bride a successful move to Washington and many, many more happy years together.

Annual yard work and garage cleaning are two chores John Ritter of Menomonee Falls is always glad to check off his honey-do list. But the weekend labors of May 15-16 proved less than satisfying when John realized his wedding ring was missing. He searched frantically, even scouring the ground on his knees in all the locations where he had raked and pulled weeks. Did the ring get thrown out by mistake? This thought left him with a nauseating feeling.

I received a phone call from John and reviewed his timeline of events. After 40 plus years of experience, I’ve learned forensic-type questions can greatly narrow the possibilities. Given the variety of activities and the amount of time that had lapsed, it seemed finding John’s ring was a long shot. But we agreed to meet and at least rule out the yard areas where he had worked. As John led me through his activities on location, he mentioned having cleaned out a bird bath in the garden, that he had used a garden hose and shook the water off his hand. I made a mental note to check that area thoroughly. My hunch paid off.

The ring announced its presence to my XP Deus Detector as I investigated the bushes near the birdbath. It lay buried out of sight beneath its greenery. The long shot paid off. And the smile on John’s face tells the rest of the story.