Firefighters searching for owner of diamond ring

MISHAWAKA, Ind. -- Mishawaka firefighters need your help finding someone who stepped up to help others, but may have lost something very precious in the process.

Every year firefighters with the Mishawaka Fire Department go to the Sam's Club parking lot for the Fill the Boot campaign to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

"It's for Jerry's Kids. Mishawaka Fire Department has been doing it for about thirty years, and we do it a week before Labor Day and then we present our check on Labor Day. It's just a great way to get out and get involved in the community and get out and see people and people can see us," said Captain Brian Linson of the Mishawaka Fire Department.

Mishawaka residents are always generous, but this year has been one of the best years yet.

"The record is about $10,000, this was four or five years ago. And we almost broke the record where we collected almost $9,000 this year, and usually the average is about $5,000 for us," said Linson.

This year, when the firefighters got back to the station to empty their boots and count what they collected, they found a diamond ring.

"We were shocked, we were awed, we were surprised. We were blown away. We just couldn't believe what we had found when we were counting the money we had collected for Jerry's Kids last Saturday at Sam's Club," said Linson.

But this gift is so big that Linson is worried.

Is this a very generous donation? Or an accidental and heartbreaking loss?

If you are missing a diamond ring - or even if you intended to give it as a donation - the fire department wants to hear from you.

"You can call the Mishawaka Fire Department at 258-1672, 258-1674 and ask for Captain Dave Pierce," said Linson.