Family finds happiness in a landfill

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- A family in Philadelphia area went from tears to cheers after defying odds and finding family jewelry in a county landfill.

The jewelry, which included wedding and engagement rings, had been tied inside a latex glove to keep the items together as the Myers family hospitalized their mother, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Thursday.

Somehow the jewelry became separated from Greg Myers, the family member entrusted with its care. He said he didn't know what happened to the glove holding the rings.

"I was tired, preoccupied and emotionally spent," he told the newspaper. "The (emergency) room was full of commotion and distractions."

The next day, the family realized the rings were gone, searched Greg's home and found nothing. Returning to the hospital, they came upon hospital employee Frank Dabney, who among other things, collects trash.

His observation: Trash receptacles are emptied every four hours, dumped into a huge compactor then hauled to a landfill every few days. Good luck.

To the landfill they went. Days of poking through hospital trash finally yielded the cry, "I've got one ring!"

The family recovered all heirloom pieces, the Inquirer said.