California Woman's Necklace Returned; Spent 4 Months in Sewer

Feb. 10, 2012 — -- A woman has a San Rafael, Calif., sanitation worker to thank for the return of a sentimental gold necklace she accidentally flushed down the toilet four months ago.

Ann Aulakh lost the Byzantine-style chain, a gift from her husband on their first Christmas together 18 years ago, after she heard the splash while in the bathroom one early morning in October.

Aulakh said it wasn't until later in the day she even realized the necklace was missing and she was convinced she would never see it again.

"Of course, I was upset about losing it, but I didn't want to let myself be upset," she said. "I just told myself it was never coming back."

Aulakh told a neighbor, Lynn Kemmeter, about the lost necklace. A former elementary school teacher, Kemmeter would take her students on tours of the sanitation department and was familiar with the system. She called the Marin Sanitation Agency, which said it would notify her if it the necklace found during the pipeline's next routine cleaning.

"I waited for months for a phone call, but I never lost hope," Kemmeter said. "I had total faith that it would be found."

Bill LeNoue of the San Rafael Sanitation District hand delivered the necklace to Aulakh after finding it in a sewer line just yards from her home. LeNoue told ABC affiliate KGO that finding the necklace was "no big deal at all."

The necklace, however, had been more than a Christmas gift for Aulakh. A few years ago, the couple's home was burglarized and she was left with only the jewelry she was wearing that day, the necklace, a pair of earrings, and a few rings.

"After it happened, my husband said he wanted to buy me more jewelry, but I wouldn't let him," Aulakh said. "You sort of realize when something like that happens that they are material and there are more important things in life."

Aulakh said the find couldn't have come at a better time. She and her husband will be celebrating their 19th anniversary Monday and Valentine's Day next week.