Lost Ashes Returned
Rhode Island Teen Reunited With Father's Ashes After Necklace Lost at Beach Is Returned
Anonymous
A 15-year-old Rhode Island girl has been reunited with her most precious possession — a necklace holding the ashes of her late father — after losing it in the sand at Misquamicut State Beach. Mikenlee Santos, a student at Westerly High School, carries the memorial pendant everywhere she goes as a way to stay close to her father, Kenneth Lee Santos, who died unexpectedly in November 2024 at age 59. WJAR NBC 10 reported the reunion took place on July 24, 2026, just days after the necklace went missing.
The necklace was found by a beachgoer named Michele Quansey, who spotted it buried in the sand and immediately posted in local Westerly and Misquamicut Facebook community groups to find the owner. She then handed it to a Westerly town beach employee for safekeeping. Within days, the Santos family tracked it down and got the necklace back, according to WBTV.
A Fisherman's Daughter Carries His Memory Everywhere
Kenneth Lee Santos spent his life as a commercial fisherman in Rhode Island. He died unexpectedly in Providence on November 3, 2024, at age 59. After his death, his family placed a small portion of his cremated remains inside a keepsake urn necklace — a sealed pendant designed to hold ashes — and gave it to his daughter Mikenlee, who was 13 at the time. She wore it constantly, according to KKTV.
By mid-July 2026, Mikenlee, now 15 and a track athlete, visited Misquamicut State Beach for a summer outing. Somewhere in the sand and surf, the necklace disappeared. Losing it was not just losing jewelry. For a grieving teenager, it meant losing her last physical link to her father.
A Stranger's Kindness and One Facebook Post Saved Everything
Michele Quansey found the necklace at Misquamicut Beach in late July 2026. She understood right away that it likely held something irreplaceable. Instead of keeping it or discarding it, she posted in local Facebook community groups asking if anyone had lost a necklace containing ashes. The posts reached the right people, according to WOWT.
To keep the necklace safe, Quansey turned it over to an unnamed Westerly town beach employee, who held it securely at the beach facility. The Santos family contacted the town official, and within days Mikenlee had her father's ashes back in her hands. Without local social media networks, experts say a small lost item at a crowded state beach would almost certainly have been gone forever.
Memorial Jewelry Grows as Families Choose Cremation
Urn necklaces — also called memorial jewelry — are sealed pendants that hold a small amount of cremated remains. They have grown rapidly in popularity as more families choose cremation over traditional burial. A traditional casket burial costs over $7,000 on average, according to the National Funeral Directors Association. Cremation costs roughly one-third of that, making it an increasingly common choice.
Jewelry brands that sell these pendants have long warned against wearing them at the beach. Active surf can snap a chain. Moisture can break down the sealant that keeps ashes sealed inside. Manufacturers like Stardust Memorials formally advise customers to store memorial pendants safely rather than wearing them in high-risk environments like open water or public beaches, according to WLFI.
Small-Town Community Rallies Around a Grieving Teen
Grief counselors say physical objects like ash-filled pendants are especially important for teenagers who lose a parent. These items give children a tangible, ongoing connection to the person they lost. Losing such an object can trigger what experts call a secondary trauma — a fresh wave of grief on top of the original loss. Getting the necklace back was not just a relief. It was deeply healing, according to WNDU.
Locally, the story drew an outpouring of support. Viewers of Hawaii News Now and other affiliate stations called it a reminder of human decency at a time when feel-good stories are rare. For the Santos family, a commercial fisherman's daughter and the ocean that took her necklace gave it back — through the hands of a kind stranger.
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