A San Antonio lost her wedding ring nearly 50 years ago, but she got it back in time for Valentine's Day thanks to amateur sleuths.
Karen Autenrieth last saw her ring in 1973 as she was putting her kids in her car on a snowy Chicago day.
“I had parked my car in front of my grandmother’s house and I was climbing over mounds of snow, helping each kid get into the car. My hands were cold — I didn’t have mittens on — and my ring just flew into the snow," she told the Chicago Tribune.
Autenrieth looked in the snow for it but couldn't find it. Life continued, Autenrieth's children grew up, her and her husband moved to Texas, and Autenrieth thought she'd never see her ring again. That is until someone contacted her on Facebook.
"I suddenly had new appreciation for Frodo Baggins in Lord of the Rings," Carol Flynn told the San Antonio Report. Flynn is the woman who reunited Autenrieth with the ring.
The person who owns Autenrieth's grandparents house in Chicago found the ring while gardening a few years back. After having a conversation on Facebook about another lost wedding ring, the homeowner remembered the one she found and was told to contact the Ridge Historical Society to find the owner.
Flynn, a researcher with the historical society, and historian Linda Lamberty took the case, and used the ring's inscription (RA to K.B. 4-16-66) as a clue. The couple had their name and wedding date carved inside the ring.
The duo used newspaper archives, obituaries, and real estate records for leads that led them to contacting Autenrieth on Facebook.
After messages and a teary phone call, Flynn confirmed Autenrieth was the ring's true owner and said she's mail it to San Antonio.
“It’s just such a heartwarming story at a time when everyone needs something to warm their hearts. And the very first kudos should go to Karen’s husband, Robert, for engraving that ring in the first place. If that had not been the case, it would’ve been like sifting for gold," Lamberty said.
Karen and Robert Autenrieth now have the ring back, but the couple is waiting until Valentine's Day to slip it on Karen's finger.
Photo: Getty Images