SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – After losing his wedding ring in the snow three years ago, South Lake Tahoe resident Paul Nielsen thought he’d never see it again. It was a snowy New Year’s Eve in 2022 when Paul and his wife Caroline, got stuck in the berm and had to dig out their car near their home in Meyers. As they were digging out, Paul lost his ring.
Fast forward to March 20, 2026, when 9-year-old Porter Neira of South Lake Tahoe was exploring his grandparents’ yard with a metal detector. Caroline asked if he’d be interested in looking for the ring nearby. He jumped at the chance and spent two days looking for the ring before he found it at the end of that second day, like finding a needle in a haystack.
“We thought we’d never see the wedding band again,” said Caroline. “Porter’s perseverance and hope are a gift to us all. Thank you, Porter!”
Caroline used this experience to remind everyone to wear gloves or remove rings while shoveling snow.
“Losing the ring was tragic and shocking in how quickly this happened,” said Caroline. “We were not optimistic the ring would survive the county’s snow removal heavy equipment working the intersection.”
