Man robbed of ring given to him by his late mother

LIVONIA, Mich. (WJBK) - One man is crushed after learning a thief who robbed his gym locker took not only his money, but an irreplaceable family heirloom.

"When I first realized it was stolen, I basically felt I was reliving that moment when my mother died," Ryan Law said.

Law is devastated that someone broke in his locker Wednesday afternoon at the Livonia Community Recreation Center. They stole $1,100 cash, but more importantly, a ring given to him by his mother before she passed away.

"Thirteen years ago this October 22, I was holding her hand when she was in the hospital, dying of cancer. She was on a breathing machine and they pulled the tube, and she was holding my hand. I felt that hand let go and that was the worst feeling I’ve ever felt. And I never thought that that feeling could be matched," he said.

The timeline of the locker room theft is between 3:20 and 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday

"I don't leave stuff in my car. I'm sure I'll be bashed. Why would somebody bring something so special into a gym when there could be a theft? Well, my car was broken into three years ago at a Red Wings game and all my stuff got stolen out of there," Law said.

The recreation center has 48 cameras, so the crook may not get away.

"We have looked at the different camera angles that possibly could get somebody going in and out of the locker room in the time frame of this case. So we record those different camera angles and gave that information, that footage to the detectives," said Michelle Koppin, assistant superintendent.

Law says by getting the police involved and telling FOX 2 the story, he is optimistic that the ring will be returned.

"I think someone is going to see this, and they're going to do the right thing and they're going to bring it back. I just have this weird feeling," he said.

Law says the person responsible for breaking into his locker can mail the ring back to the recreation center, no questions asked. He just wants it back.

"Having that ring makes me feel my mother is with me at all times. I know many people may laugh at that, but to me that's just ... I was very close to my mother," he said.