The beach can prove a hotbed of discoveries for metal detectorists - rings for those fortunate enough to come across them, and ring pulls for those less so. One treasure hunter was left in shock this week, however, after uncovering a heartbreaking find which he duly reburied in the sand. Sharing a snap to Reddit , the detectorist simply penned: "Sad but interesting find.
" His photo showed a jar, which contained a piece of paper that revealed the other contents were the ashes of a man who passed away in 2011, aged 22. The note, written by his grieving mother, requested that if found, the jar should be placed back "respectfully". The finder added: "I found this buried 6 inches down on the Oregon coast.
When I saw the piece of paper I thought it might have been geocache related. Based on the amount of ashes I’m guessing there’s a few more of these out there in more of his favorite places. Yes I did put it back.
" And in response to a question about the item, he divulged further: "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. Based on the location I'd be surprised if I wasn't the first person to dig this up.
" Saddened by the MetalDetecting subreddit post, scores of other Reddit users expressed their sorrow over the discovery. "She [the mother] probably kept it in the jar so she could come back and visit," one.