A San Diego woman will be reunited with several precious pieces of jewelry this week, weeks after a young boy found the items in a South Park canyon in mid-February.
Several weeks ago, on Feb. 12, Joan Andrews came home to find several items missing from her home: several necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings, including her Grandmother’s engagement ring.
“I really felt sick to my stomach,” she told NBC 7 San Diego.
That feeling is long gone now that she knows her possessions have been found.
Andrew, a nurse at UC San Diego Medical Center, first saw the jewelry in a story NBC 7 San Diego posted on their website, showing a young boy had found the pieces and was searching for the owner.
It was Thomas Hoffman, 13, who serendipitously found Andrew’s valuables: her grandmother’s antique white-and-gold diamond engagement ring, and a gift given to her by one of her patients. Many of the pieces stolen are valuable to her, she said.
“This is the heart that goes on the necklace Thomas found the day he was doing the story,” Andrew said, showing a missing piece of a necklace left behind.
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When Hoffman found the jewelry, he turned it in to police.
“Number one I don't use jewelry...if someone stole something from me, I would want it back, too,” he said.
This week, Andrews will get the chance to meet Thomas and say thank you. The detective working on the case will help reunite the two.
Andrews said she’s overwhelmed with joy of finding the missing jewelry.
“I can't describe how much that meant to me,” she said.
