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DEVASTATING

‘It’s heartbreaking’: Investigation at Mater as 91-year-old’s wedding rings go missing in her sleep

The woman and her family believe the rings were stolen while she was sleeping.

PastedImage-47642 Kathleen Kearns's wedding ring from 1950 and her mother's wedding ring that was passed to her when she died in 1978.

AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION at the Mater Hospital is looking into the disappearance of a 91-year-old woman’s wedding rings.

Kathleen Kearns from Dublin had the rings on her finger when she went to sleep on Friday night and she immediately noticed them missing on Saturday morning.

“There’s no way they could have fallen off,” Kathleen’s daughter Pauline explained.

She’s had her wedding on for 67 years this September and she’s had her own mother’s ring on for 30 years. She never takes them off.

The family believes the only explanation is that the rings were taken off Kathleen’s fingers while she was sleeping.

“We know they were taken. There’s nowhere else they could be. If they had fallen in the sink, they would be in the sink.

My mum has a great memory and is great for her age. She’s very savvy, she can remember everything.

The disappearance was reported to the hospital and an internal investigation was launched.

“We haven’t called the guards because she didn’t want the guards involved,” Pauline explained.

She has a heart of gold, she doesn’t want to blame anybody.

The 91-year-old has been in hospital for a week having been admitted after suffering a blackout while shopping in Dunnes Stores with two of her daughters.

Her granddaughter Lorraine Watters explained that she’s extremely upset about the disappearance of the rings but is reluctant to pursue it because she doesn’t want to cause a fuss.

“She never gave out in her life,” Lorraine said, “I took her down to the church and she said a prayer to St Anthony. She said she doesn’t want to get anyone in bother, she sees the good in everyone.”

It’s heartbreaking, just heartbreaking. She said to me, ‘How would you like it if someone took your wedding ring Lorraine?’ I said ‘I wouldn’t like it at all Nanna.’

A spokesperson for the hospital confirmed they are investigating the matter. “All cases of reported missing property from patients are thoroughly investigated by the hospital,” they said in a statement.

READ: Garda hospitalised after hijacked taxi pursued in Finglas>

READ: Wedding ring that went missing in 2004 turns up wrapped around carrot>

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