Weldon police tries to solve mystery of rings

Lance Martin / Herald Staff Writer

WELDON - The mystery of three rings found under the Roanoke River bridge in Weldon continues.

Weldon Police Department Detective Gene Harris hopes he can solve it soon.

Three fishermen found the rings Jan. 22 and immediately contacted the police department.

One of the rings is a 1966 class ring from the John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School in Philadelphia. Harris declined Thursday to reveal initials engraved in the ring, hoping that if the owner is contacted the ring can be properly identified.

Harris said he has contacted the school where officials told him there are three people from that class with initials matching the engraving. "Right now the school is trying to locate the three people. The Philadelphia Police Department is trying to locate them."

If the owner of the rings was 18 when she graduated from school, that would make her about 55 now, Harris said.

News of the rings being found and turned in to police by the fishermen caught the attention of a Raleigh television station, which aired a segment on them after reading an article posted on the Daily Herald's Web site, Harris said.

So far the police department has received only one call about the rings and that was from a local person.

Harris does not speculate foul play, although rumors have been circulating throughout town since news of the discovery broke.

"We're hoping they (the owner) were just fishing and lost them. Possibly they might have been taken in a break-in. We don't know how long they've been there. They (the fishermen) said the rings were partially buried."

In trying to solve the mystery of the rings, Harris has checked robbery calls from local motels and businesses, but there have been none involving people from Pennsylvania.

Harris said it is important to locate the owner of the rings for their peace of mind. "I know if this was my high school ring I would want it back. I never had one."

The men who found the rings, in their late teens or early 20's, are also interested in finding the owners, Harris said. "They found them and brought them in. They knew it wasn't theirs and are really interested in giving them back to their owners."

Harris said they were so interested in finding the owners they combed the area under the bridge to see if any more items were lost.

Harris hopes for the best in the case. "I don't want to believe yet there's any foul play unless I find out different. I believe right now it's a matter of lost property until I find out different."

Anyone familiar with the school or the rings should call the police department at 536-3136 and describe the items so they can be retrieved.