This is a story in search of a happy ending. Everyone involved feels terrible about what happened. And the only priority is to make it right.
"We spoke every day. She was my best friend," said Vallejo resident Michelle Hendricks.
Hendricks is talking about her mother who passed away in 2006. Eight years after Kathryn Jean Elmore died the emotional attachment Michelle has with her mother remains strong.
It was out of desperation that Michelle took her wedding ring along with her mom's wedding set to a pawn shop in Vallejo.
"I feel really guilty for even taking it in," said Hendricks.
For the rings, Hendricks received a 30-day loan of $40. It would be barely enough to get her through the month to feed her family.
This wasn't the first time she's pawned her wedding rings. Once she paid off the loan, she could get her rings back, but not this time.
"I didn't have it. I went to where it should be and it wasn't there," said Joseph Blaney of Lincoln Loan in Vallejo.
Complicating matters, Hendricks lost her receipt for the rings when she dropped her wallet at a convenience store and someone picked it up and walked away with it.
Hendricks phoned Lincoln Loan to notify them not to let anyone else claim it. Blaney agreed.
"We didn't make that notation. For whatever reason, forgetfulness or busy, or," he said.
Blaney thinks whoever found Hendricks's receipt came to get the rings back. She doesn't care about her own ring. She just wants her mom's ring back. She made a drawing of the ring and remembers exactly when her mother gave it to her.
"The night before she passed away, July 31, 2006," she said.
Hendricks could still get compensated for the rings if they are not found.
"If you're items are in their care, and they lost them, they should give you a refund based on what the value of these items are," said Joe Ridout of Consumer Action.
Hendricks has the option of going to small claims court, but is leaning against that. And Lincoln Loan has offered to make her a duplicate set. But she's not sure if she wants that either.
She's convinced the ring is in the shop somewhere and Blaney has agreed for a second time to let her look for it. "Because, I just have this gut feeling that it's there," said Hendricks.
"Believe me; if there was some way I could come up with it, I would do it," said Blaney.
If you happen to have Hendricks's ring, mail it to Michael Finney at ABC7 News and he'll return the ring to Hendricks, no questions asked.
The address is:
900 Front Street,
San Francisco, CA 94111
