Detective's Persistence Returns Stolen Wedding Ring to Dementia Patient's Family

An elderly woman living in an upstate New York nursing home was reunited with her stolen wedding ring after a persistent police detective spent months trying to solve the theft.

The woman, who suffers from dementia and can no longer care for herself, is a resident at a healthcare facility in LeRoy, a small town in between Rochester and Buffalo.

When the woman's family noticed her ring was no longer on her finger, Detective Kaden Vangalio with the LeRoy Police Department took the case.

For months, Vangalio initially failed to drum up any actionable leads, the department said in an announcement. He spent months conducting interviews and checking various databases to no avail.

He only made progress when he personally traveled to Buffalo, roughly a one-hour drive from LeRoy, to check multiple pawn shops, the police department said.

Vangalio eventually found the stolen ring at one of the pawn shops he visited. He also got his hands on the bill of sale, which was allegedly signed by Erica Champagne Clark of Buffalo.

LeRoy police allege that Clark, 39, was working at the nursing home and took advantage of the woman's cognitive decline to steal her ring and sell it.

Vangalio was able to personally return the ring to the woman and her family.

'Stealing from one of the most vulnerable members of our community is as low as it gets,' the LeRoy Police Department said in a social media post.

'You cannot put a price on the sentimental value of a wedding ring. We are proud to help bring closure to this family and grateful for the excellent work of Detective Vangalio in making that happen.'

Police said Clark 'was evasive and avoided contact with investigators for months'. She ended up turning herself in.

Clark faces two felony charges, including third-degree grand larceny and endangering the welfare of a physically disabled person in the first degree.