Treasure hunter finds heartbreaking note buried on beach
A metal detectorist thought he had discovered a unique piece of jewelry on a beach in Oregon, but then discovered that it was actually the cremated remains of a person.
The devastated metal detectorist described the “sad but interesting discovery” in a post that is currently causing tears on Reddit.
According to the heartbreaking post, the unnamed sandpiper was exploring the Oregon coast when his scanner spotted something buried beneath the sand.
“I found it buried 15 centimeters deep,” they remember.
Curious, the detectorist dug deeper and pulled out a jar with a note and a bag inside, as can be seen in the attached photos.
When the treasure hunter discovered the “piece of paper,” he initially thought it had something to do with geocaching, a popular pastime in which treasure hunters use GPS-enabled devices to track down a container or marker at a specific location.
However, when they read the note, they quickly realized that this was not the case. The note revealed that the remaining contents were the ashes of a young man who had died over a decade ago.
The note from the deceased’s mother read: “These are the ashes of my son Steven Genberg. If you find them, please be respectful and place them back. Thank you. A grieving mother.”
The detectorist respected the wishes of the grieving parents.
“Yes, I put them back,” wrote the Reddit user, who concluded from the small amount of ashes that she had placed additional makeshift urns in the deceased’s “favorite places” to honor his memory.
The Reddit community was devastated by this discovery.
“This is deeply sad,” said one commenter, while another wrote, “Losing a child is literally the worst experience in human life.”
Others even shared purported articles identifying the deceased as Steven Genberg, 20, who was reportedly killed in a collision with a police patrol car in British Columbia. He was reportedly expecting a child with his girlfriend at the time.
Others wondered why the remains of the deceased were not washed into the sea.
“Serious question: How did they survive on the beach for so long?” asked one Redditor. “Or did they just put it there recently, hoping it would wash out to sea?”
The original poster replied: “The lid was painted metal with a plastic coating on the threads so it opened easily and there was no corrosion. I guess the mother didn’t think of us when choosing the container, but at least she left a note.”
“Given the location, I’d be surprised if I wasn’t the first to dig this up,” they added.
