LAWTON, Okla._Lawton police are searching for a thief who stole a wedding ring off a dead man's hand.

William Steven “Steve” Bjork died August 30 of a sudden heart attack. His wife, Shayna, noticed his wedding ring was gone Wednesday evening during a wake. Now, while she mourns the loss of her husband, she and her family are pleading for whoever stole the ring to return it.

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Shayna said that they will begin searching through pawn shops, but she also said if the thief would just return it to the funeral home they won't press charges. Shayna says she hasn't been able to grieve properly with the thought of the missing ring on her mind.

"I put it on there, I should be able to take it off," said Bjork.

Steve and Shayna had only been married for four and a half years. They had a pact that when he died, she would be the only one who could take his ring off.

"And now I can't. I can't get that back," said Bjork.

Shayna said she left the Lawton Ritter Gray funeral home Wednesday morning to run errands, and when she came back around five, Steve had been moved to the chapel. That's when she realized his ring was gone. At first, she thought it might have slipped off, but she saw his hands had been moved and his fingers were repositioned.

"The thought of someone moving his hand just disgusts me. It breaks my heart," said Bjork.

Bjork told the funeral director and then filed a police report. They're reviewing the names on the sign-in sheet. The funeral home says they have no idea who could've stolen the ring due to the crowds of people who had been in and out for other services after Shayna left. Shayna says it's difficult to discuss, as she holds on to her mother for moral support.

"You know, I kept remembering my brother said to me, 'They're the one's that are going to have to live with what they've done,' and that was the only thing that I kept running through my brain. We're doing the best we can. I'm doing the best I can for him,” said Bjork.

There's no word on whether the stolen ring was caught on surveillance tape. Funeral home officials didn't want to speak on camera about the incident, but said they are working closely with the family to find out what happened to the ring.

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