Wedding Ring Worth $19,000 Stolen From Dead Woman, Husband 'Distressed'

A thief stole an engagement ring and a wedding ring worth £13,500 stolen from the hand of a deceased woman in Harlow, Essex.

BBC reported that the woman was admitted to the Tye Green ward of Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow after an accident at home on March 6. She died three days later in the hospital.

When the woman died, her husband was by her side. However, he realized that the two rings had disappeared from her side when he returned to the ward to retrieve her personal belongings.

Police said per The Irish Examiner that the rings were on her hand when she was hospitalized. The items were not removed during treatment.

PC Daniel Burns and his team in the Harlow local police unit are conducting an investigation over the matter.

"These two rings are very special to the husband as they were both engagement and wedding rings and were bought for her in America," Burns said per Central Fife Times.

The total combined value of both these rings was $19,000, Burns added. That's around £13,500.

Burns underscored that the husband is "incredibly distressed and upset" by this incident.

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust's director of nursing, midwifery, and allied health professionals, Sharon McNally, expressed her condolences to the family, saying, "We are deeply worried about this distressing incident."

"We are supporting Essex Police with their investigation and encourage anyone with information to contact them," McNally said in an online tabloid.

Officials hope to trace the location of these rings or whether someone has tried to sell them on.

Anyone with details about the rings can report it online at www.essex.police.uk or call an online operator between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. (British Summer Time) using the 'Live Chat' button.

People in the nearby area can also call 101 and give the reference number 42/78926/21.

Information can also be sent anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

A bold robber was caught on camera stealing from an injured elderly woman outside a bank in January.

In another event, authorities sentenced Jay Makwana, of Northumberland Park, Erith, to six years in prison on Jan. 6, after pleading guilty to robbery at Woolrich Crown Court.

The incident occurred when police officers responded to a call of an unconscious 81-year-old woman in Bexleyheath's Market Place.

Makwana is seen on police bodycam footage staying by the pensioner's side and responding to the officers.

He then takes the woman's purse, which contained £200 (around $282) in cash, and places it in a carrier bag before fleeing the scene.