MARGATE, Fla. – A Margate husband is being called a hero by his wife after he found her custom made engagement ring inside nine tons of garbage at a dump.
Brian McGuinn accidentally tossed his wife's $10,000, 1.5-carat ring in to the garbage on Oct. 30. It happened when his wife asked him to hold onto the ring while she was taking a shower.
He was in the process of throwing away an old razor but both ended up in the trash.
The couple realized what had happened the next day, but the trash had already been picked up.
Instead of giving up, McGuinn tracked down the truck that collected garbage from their condominium and headed to the Wheelabrator dump in Pompano Beach. Once there, workers at the dump gave him protective gear, including a mask.
"When I walked in, I got physically ill when I first smelled it," said McGuinn.
After searching for about an hour, McGuinn spotted his garbage bag. He took off his gloves and rooted around in the sludge until he felt the ring.
"He's my hero now. He definitely has some leverage," said wife Anna McGuinn.
Anna and Brian have been married for five years. She is pregnant and their son is due in a few months. They said they have quite a story to tell him when he grows up.