WESTWOOD HILLS, Kan. -- A man was reunited with his high school class ring 47 years after graduating.

A woman in Alabama found the ring and traced it all the way to its owner in the Kansas City metro area.

Chris Estabrooks said she was wading through her father's jars of collectibles he'd found with his metal detector when she stumbled on the gold class ring.

"When I saw it, 'Oh my God, Daddy. Someone's missing this ring!'" said Estabrooks.

Her father remembered finding the ring near Oklahoma City in the late 1980s. He has since moved to Alabama.

Estabrooks decided to play detective and find the ring's owner. Her only clues were that the ring was from Del City High School, outside of Oklahoma City, the owner graduated with the class of 1961 and barely visible initials appeared to read DCW.

She went through old transcripts and yearbooks with Del City high's current principal and found a picture of Danny Claude Whitehead, a senior in 1961, involved in student council, Honor Society, wrestling team, track and football.

She made many phone calls trying to find him, calling every Whitehead she could find listed. Finally, one lead panned out.

She found Danny Whitehead, class of 1961, in Westwood Hills, Kan.

After calling and talking with him, she sent the ring to him.

"I'm amazed with all of it and that it's in such good shape," Whitehead said.

Whitehead, 65, said he knew what really happened with the ring. He was partying with friends in a field, but when he went to leave, his dad's car wouldn't start and he had to crawl underneath to fix it. In the process, his ring must have slipped off.

"Those who had flashlights looked all over, but never found anything," Whitehead said.

Whitehead said he has thought about his class ring over the years. Every time he heard of severe tornadoes moving through Oklahoma, he wondered where his ring had ended up.