UNION CITY, Calif. – Sanitation workers have returned an heirloom diamond and sapphire ring to a San Francisco Bay Area family whose 3-year-old son flushed it down the toilet.
After several attempts, Union Sanitary District crews found the ring last week, about a month and a half after it disappeared from Munazzar and Mehvish Tapal’s home in Union City.
Wastewater Collection Supervisor Shawn Nesgis tells KTVU-TV that the ring traveled about a third of a mile.
Crews flushed the sewer lines and discovered the ring after vacuuming up debris. Nesgis equated the discovery to finding a needle in a haystack.
The Tapals say the ring’s return was a miracle. Munazzar Tapal estimates the ring has been in his family for 60 years.