Meg Walls was distraught after losing her wedding ring on the beach in Ocean City, Md.
Megan Walls was beside herself with stress after her wedding ring went flying off her finger and disappeared in the sand as she played football on the beach with her son during a family vacation.
She searched for hours, on her hands and knees, joined by strangers who pitched in. Anguished and dispirited, Walls eventually called off the hunt, believing she would never see her diamond band again.
Read: Woman Hires Scuba Diver to Find Wedding Ring After Dropping It in River
Enter Barry Betts, who was out the next day with his metal detector, searching for lost treasure in the sands of Ocean City, Md.
The Delaware resident has been combing the beaches on the Delmarva Peninsula for 44 years. On Saturday, he was standing in the same place where Walls had lost her ring.
Police Sgt. Dennis Eade was on patrol, and walked up to Betts, asking if he would use his metal detector to search for the heartbroken woman’s band.
On his second pass of the area, Betts got a ping. He scooped up some sand, and lo and behold, there it was — Walls’ wedding ring.
Read: Family Says Beloved Wedding Ring Stolen From Dying 92-Year-Old Grandmother
Eade returned the prized possession to Walls, who was overjoyed.
“I was totally not expecting it,” she told DemarvaNow.com.
“I’d actually already called my jeweler late Friday evening to see what it would take to get a perfect match remade to replace it,” she said.
“I couldn’t be more thankful to the officer and the gentleman who found it for me,” she said. “It was so unexpected and kind of them.”
Watch: Man Steals Wedding Ring From Dying Man Who Rescued Women on Train: Cops
