John Arnett, a chief master sergeant in the Ohio National Guard, lost his wedding ring while washing his 1976 Plymouth Volare in Swanton, Ohio, sometime between 1977 and 1982. He replaced the ring but the loss lingered. Before his death in 2013, John asked his son Jeff Arnett to search the old yard with a metal detector if he ever got one.

Jeff began searching in the fall of 2013 but found nothing. He took up metal detecting as a hobby, finding roughly 150 items over the years. In August 2024, with an upgraded detector gifted by his siblings, Jeff searched the yard one last time before the home—now owned by his father's former pastor—was sold.

He found the 14-karat white gold ring buried eight inches deep in just five minutes. His 90-year-old mother, Carol Arnett, confirmed the find using their 1957 wedding photo album. Jeff plans to keep the ring on his desk alongside his father's watch.