A METAL DETECTORIST thought they’d struck gold while scouring the beach for treasure – but instead made a “profoundly sad” discovery.
What was initially believed to be a special trinket found on a beach in Oregon, USA, turned out to be a jar containing the cremated remains along with a personal note.
According to the Reddit post, the beachcomber was scouring the coastline before the detector picked up on something.
Buried six inches down in the sand, the user said they had found a mysterious jar with a note.
After initially spotting the piece of paper, the metal detectorist thought it related to geocaching – a ‘hide and seek’ style worldwide outdoor treasure hunting game.
But they were quick to realise this was not the case after reading the tragic piece of paper.
The note that’s over a decade old read: “This is the ashes of my son Steven Genberg.
“If found, please be respectful & put them back. Thank you. A grieving mother.”
Also written on the note was the presumed birthday and death date of her beloved son.
After making the sad discovery, the Reddit user confirmed they had respected the bereaved mother’s wishes.
They wrote: “Yes I did put them back.”
Many were quick to comment on the post, sharing their sadness with the original poster.
One wrote: “This is profoundly sad.”
Another said: “Losing a child is literally the worst experience in human existence.”
Other’s went as far as finding out who the son was.
They believe it was a 20-year-old young man called Steven Genberg who allegedly died in a collision with a police car in British Columbia.
He was expecting a child with his girlfriend at the time, it’s claimed.
Some users were confused as to how the ashes hadn’t already been found.
The metal detectorist Reddit user responded: “The lid was painted metal with a plastic liner on the threads so it was easy to open with no corrosion.
“I’m guessing the mother didn’t think about us when she chose that container but then again she did leave a note.”
