Alabama woman offers $2,000 for rings lost at Georgia resort
Published 8:05 am Saturday, July 24, 2021
An Alabama woman who visited and stayed in the Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens last week is offering a $2,000 cash award for her rings that went missing during her stay.
The rings’ owner, Erin Ward of Thorsby, Alabama, said she believes she left her rings on the bathroom counter of her hotel room the day she checked out, but an ongoing search with Callaway Garden’s staff and the Pine Mountain Police Department have yet to help her relocate the missing jewelry.
The rings Ward reported missing are a diamond wedding ring, a diamond band engagement ring and a ruby anniversary band.
Ward and her family were staying at Callaway Gardens two weeks ago during a visit to Pine Mountain. Last Monday, around 11 a.m., Ward checked out of the hotel and around 5 p.m., she realized she didn’t have her rings with her and immediately turned around, calling the hotel as her husband drove, she said.
“[A hotel staff member] said they did not have them,” Ward said. “When we got back to the hotel, we were told that housekeeping had gone home for the day, that their lost and found was already locked up and that they would take our name and they would call us.”
On Thursday, Ward returned to the hotel to pass out flyers on the award offer. While there, Ward was allowed to search the room personally but did not locate the rings.
Ward has since been in contact with officer Christopher Nance with the Pine Mountain Police Department.
Nance said that he has been checking with a nationwide database that the department can check to look up pawned jewelry.
“If someone pawns an item or sells it to a pawn shop, [the database] basically checks it,” Nance said. “The pawn stores and the scrap metal stores have to keep a record of that, and they are supposed to hold [the item] for 30 days.”
As of Wednesday, the rings have yet to be pawned, Nance said.
Ward is also checking jewelry stores in the Pine Mountain area, she said.
Anyone who may have information is asked to call (205) 299-8170 or email erinhw07@gmail.com.
Callaway Gardens was asked for a comment on this story but as of Wednesday afternoon had not given one.