2 wedding rings, one mystery

Both tales had happy endings, but police are trying to solve a mystery at the Belmont Village Crown Cove senior living center in Corona del Mar.

For the second time in three months, a diamond ring worth thousands of dollars was taken off a resident’s finger while she slept.

And, in both cases, the ring reappeared under a manager’s door as word got out about a police investigation.

In the latest incident, a 95-year-old woman suffering from dementia reported that her diamond ring — a 50th wedding anniversary gift from her late husband valued at $15,000 — went missing sometime between 8 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday.

The woman reported that someone removed the ring from her finger as she slept and replaced it with another ring.

The Belmont Village’s executive director, Rena Smith, said that the woman’s caregiver reported the loss, and that staff immediately called police Sunday.

When Smith checked in for work Monday morning, the ring was on the floor of her office, she said.

Newport Beach police Lt. Craig Fox said detectives are investigating staff.

Belmont Village is cooperating, and no one has been suspended, Smith said. She noted that employees at the facility undergo competency and background checks.

In June, an 86-year-old Belmont Village resident reported that her $8,000 diamond ring had been taken off her finger while she slept. In that alleged caper, no replacement ring went on the finger, but the woman’s property turned up under a manager’s door, Smith said.

“We feel bad for any inconvenience this has caused the ring owners or their families,” she added.