GILBERT, Ariz. — Engagement and wedding rings are symbols of affection, and as the years pass, become part of a couple's love story.
“She was the love of my life, the only one I’ve had," said Bradley Meyers, who designed his wife Robin's rings.
On Jan. 31, the Meyers' love story was cut short. Robin got COVID-19 and was admitted to Abrazo Health in Gilbert.
“She got sick on a Thursday, and Friday she couldn’t move in the morning," Bradley said. “By the time I got in [to see her] the next day, she could not talk anymore."
Bradley said that her doctors told him she suffered multiple strokes. He and his three daughters were able to see her briefly before she died.
Their grief was made worse when they realized Robin’s wedding and engagement rings were missing.
“It was basically it, that was the one symbol we had, I have mine, still on. That was hers and someone took it," Bradley added.
Gone without a trace, the solid gold engagement ring with a heart-shaped diamond and the wedding band that fit perfectly with it.
“The day she went in, she had her jewelry, the next day when I went in to see, when I finally got in there, the rings were gone and there was a little plastic band around her ring finger as if someone marked where the ring came from," Bradley said.
Bradley says he and his family inquired with the funeral home when they received his wife’s belongings, but the ring was not there.
“The hospital really didn’t do anything, they said, ‘Well, we’ll send security to go look’, but that was it,” Bradley said.
After a lack of effort was shown by hospital employees, Bradley says he filed a report with Gilbert Police Department.
Abrazo Health did not comment on this specific case. Keith Jones, the hospital’s communications manager, said in a statement:
“Any reports of misplaced personal items are investigated by the hospital. The hospital tries to work with the patient or family to find a resolution. If an individual chooses to file a report with law enforcement after the hospital tries to resolve the issue, it becomes a police matter.”
As Bradley holds on to the memories of a lifetime with his wife, he says he hopes someone has the courage to return Robin's rings, no questions asked.
“The money doesn’t matter, I just would like it back. I don’t really care about money,” Bradley said.
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