Boy finds wedding band in dirt; parents search for owner

Boy finds wedding band in dirt; parents search for owner


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SALT LAKE CITY — A father and son camp out led to a huge find for 5-year-old Ashton Skelton, who walked away from the campground with a lost wedding band he found buried in the dirt.

He found the ring while playing near the creek at the East Canyon Campground near Moragn in May. It was buried, but when he saw it he stuffed it in his pocket then promptly forgot about it.

Tiffany Skelton calls her son her “Gollum.” At the age of 5, Ashton is an avid garage sale shopper.

“He collects everything, anything shiny,” said his mom, Tiffany. “I guess when he got back to camp he forgot about it and I didn’t know about it until a few days ago.”

Tiffany Skelton said the ring resurfaced in her laundry room, where the ring had fallen out of her son’s clothes. Her son then picked up the ring and put it on.

“My husband said, ‘Why does he have a woman’s ring on?’ Tiffany Skelton said. “I figured it was from a garage sale, but then he and my other son told me what had happened.”

Now, months after her son found the wedding band, TIffany Skelton hopes to find its owner. She described it as a band paved with what she thought might be cubic zirconia. When she took it to the jewelry she discovered it was the real deal, diamonds and all.


I don't know if he washed it off, but by the time I found it, it was pretty clean. If it was buried in the dirt, you would think there would be a lot of dirt, but you never know.

–Tiffany Skelton


She said she didn’t know a timeframe of when it was lost, but had a hunch it was not too long ago.

“I don’t know if he washed it off, but by the time I found it, it was pretty clean,” she said. “If it was buried in the dirt, you would think there would be a lot of dirt, but you never know.”

As soon as she found the ring, Tiffany Skelton called the campground to see if any rings had been reported missing. The gate staff said there hadn’t been any missing rings reported, but it’s not uncommon for valuables to be found or reported missing.

“We find stuff quite a bit,” said Raqeal Jensen, a gate staff member at the campground. She said most of the time lost and found items are phones or clothes, but said it’s important to turn in what you find.

The Skeltons hope they find where the ring belongs after its journey from the river to their Bountiful home. They’re depending on the owner to describe the ring in detail before they’re willing to give it up.

“I just feel bad,” Tiffany Skelton said. “If they can describe it, then great. I just really want to find whoever it belongs to.”

If you believe the wedding band is yours, contact Tiffany Skelton at tiffany.skelton@comcast.net.

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Cait Orton

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