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Sanitation department returns lost ring to family after a six-week search

Union Sanitary District workers Johnny Powell and Victor Vasut with the recovered ring. (Courtesy Union Sanitary District)

In early October, Mehvish Tapal noticed that a family heirloom had disappeared.

“Where’s Mama’s ring?” the Union City, California, mom asked her 3-year-old son, inquiring about a diamond-and-sapphire ring handed down from her husband’s father.

The ring had been in the family for about 60 years. Munazzar Tapal’s great-grandfather bought it for his great-grandmother in London.

"When I asked my son if he had seen the ring, he paused, looked at me and said, ‘I flushed it down the toilet. It’s gone. It’s really, really gone,’" Mehvish told the Bay Area News Group. “We started watching ‘Finding Nemo’ with him and I think that’s where he got the whole idea of flushing.

"He kept saying, ‘Nemo will find the ring!’ I freaked out and called a plumber, but he said it was likely long gone into the city drain."

"And I told [Mehvish] it will literally be a miracle if you find it," Munazzar said to KTVU, admitting he was heartbroken over the loss.

When the plumber found nothing in the drain, the Tapals called Union City’s sanitation department.

Five times, crews came out to flush the lines in search of the missing ring.

"It’s hard to find. It’s like a needle in a haystack," said Shawn Nesgis, a wastewater collection supervisor with Union Sanitation District.

Fortunately for the Tapals, the crews didn’t give up.

On Friday, collection services workers Johnny Powell and Victor Vasut were vacuuming up debris from the sewer line about 1/3 mile from the Tapal home — and about six weeks after the ring went missing — when they spotted the treasured heirloom.

"It’s in pristine condition. Just needs a little cleaning of the (prongs) which took a little beating," Mehvish said. “It’s a real miracle.”

The Sanitation District didn’t charge the family for the search.

"There’s so much negativity going on in the world today that we really need to stop and think there is good. People are still good," said Mehvish.

The Tapals plan on handing down the ring to their son when he is older — and has learned to keep valuables away from the toilet.