ST. LOUIS, March 16 (UPI) — A couple from Missouri searched through piles of garbage bags after accidentally throwing their 12.5 karat diamond wedding ring in the trash.
Carla Squitieri and her husband Bernie called their local trash collectors at Meridian Waste Services, LLC when Carla realized she accidentally tossed the $400,000 ring into their garbage can.
“I said the trash man’s gone already. He left five hours ago,” her husband told KMOV. “Meridian said it’s on its way to Bridgeton, Bridgeton’s radioactive. We couldn’t go there; it’s against federal law.”
The couple was eventually able to convince the company to divert the truck to a different facility where they would be able to search the piles of trash for their ring.
Even though the ring is insured, the couple said that its sentimental value was too great for them not to attempt to reclaim it.
Meridian employee Joe Evans helped the two in their search. He said he initially doubted whether they’d be able to find the ring in the pile containing trash from more than 900 customers.
“My first thought was we’re never going to find it. It was like finding a needle in a haystack basically,” he said.
Despite his skepticism, Evans eventually found the ring and returned it to a relieved Carla.
“That’s the lotto for me,” she said. “That was my Powerball.”
