RYE — Bob McGrath, animal control officer for the Rye Police Department, used his longtime hobby of metal detecting for a big payoff Saturday, when he found an engagement ring a Lee woman had lost at Cable Beach.

"I am still in shock," said Olivia Ireland, the bride-to-be. "I never knew there were so many caring people willing to help until this happened. I never thought, in this vast ocean, that it would be found. I am so grateful to him, to everybody who tried to help. Bob is definitely the superstar of this story."

McGrath, who returned to the beach at night to search after shift was over, said he is simply happy it worked out.

McGrath, who has been a metal detector hobbyist since he was 14, said his position with Rye police is a retirement gig. He was previously a professional photographer.

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"I was out patrolling on Saturday," McGrath said. "We have a no dogs on the beach policy, and I look for that and other things. I saw the lady near the water with a metal detector, on a busy, busy beach day and thought it was a little odd. Being a person who used metal detectors for most of my life, I went and asked if she was having any luck. She told me she had lost her engagement ring on Friday, a ring she had only had one month."

"I was in the water up to my knees and I felt it slip off," Ireland said. "I saw it fall but then couldn't find it. I was there with some coworkers and we tried for several hours to find it.

Ireland's fiance, Jeffrey Farrell, was supportive, reassuring her all he cared was no one was hurt and everything would be OK if the ring was not found.

Ireland posted about her lost ring on Facebook, looking to borrow a metal detector. 

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"Some people reached out, including people from a group called New Hampshire Metal Detectors," she said. "People rallied and offered to meet me on the beach. I was hopeful but so dejected."

McGrath told Ireland he would come back to the beach Saturday night, after his shift with his own metal detector, saying it was good quality and might work better in salt water.

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"I was out there about 9:30 p.m. last night," he said. "I had a light on my hat and was searching the area when I saw another spotlight approach. It was a man from Nottingham, from the Facebook group called Ring Finders. He had also been communicating with Olivia. She definitely was smart to seek out all this help. She did everything right."

McGrath found the ring, buried under about six inches of sand. 

"It was late, so I thought I'd call her Sunday morning," McGrath said. "Someone from one of the groups told her first, and she called me about 11:30 this morning."

As any officer would, McGrath told her he had found a ring, that it might be hers and could she describe it?

"I went to the station with a picture of it," Ireland said. "I described it to him over the phone first."

"I knew it was her ring," McGrath said. "I just needed to be sure. She was so happy, she cried."

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McGrath said Ireland asked what she could for him and for the department.

"I said, 'Tell the story,'" he said. "People know we do police work, we arrest people. They should know we care and try to help."

"I am so happy to share this story," Ireland said. "There is so much negativity in the world today. This shows people care."

The couple have not yet set a wedding date. Ireland said they are newly engaged and simply enjoying their time together. 

"Bob is a police chief's dream," Rye Police Chief Kevin Walsh said. "He goes the extra mile for people because he cares about them. When he saw this woman on the beach with a metal detector during a busy beach day, he knew something was wrong and he approached her to see if he could help. Police often get a bad reputation but he shows the trust and caring we want in our officers."