Family's search for missing ring in Colorado following mother's death garners social media attention

A search for a ring in Colorado has caught the attention of thousands of people on social media.

Cole Leonida says he lost his family's ring at Southwest Plaza in Littleton. The sentimental value has him going to great lengths to try to find it again.

It's a ring that's held the weight of more than just a diamond, but also the memories of Leonida's mother.

"My mom was the most amazing mom," he said. "She's the mom other moms wish they could be and other kids wish they could have. She was just the absolute best mother that anyone could ask for."

Leonida grew up in Aurora and he his brother each received a ring made with one of their mom's diamond earrings. Leonida was 18 when he got his.

"There's things in life that are more important than things, but as far as physical possessions go it was my most prize possession," said Leonida. "It was not something that I wore very often because it was so important. I always try to take care of it. I just kept it locked up."

Suddenly, the weight of this ring got bigger for Leonida when his mom passed away unexpectedly earlier in June.

"I've come out to Colorado to be with my family and we were scheduled to bury my mom on June 30," said Leonida, who now lives in Arizona.

It was just one day before the funeral, when Leonida says he accidentally left the ring inside the Southwest Plaza's food court bathroom while he was helping his kids wash their hands.

"I took it off, and when I took it off, I remember thinking, 'That's probably not a good idea,'" said Leonida.

He says he did not realize it was missing for hours. When he returned to look for it, it was already long gone.

"(I) went and looked and it was tragic because I could still see the water mark where I had put it on the counter," said Leonida. "I was in tears for I don't know how long, and I think one of the hardest things about it is I know it was my fault."

For Leonida, it felt like losing his mom all over again.

"It feels like I've let her down," he said. "I know she would never hold that over me, but it feels like I let her down."

Motivated in his search to find the missing ring, he's inspired countless others who've posted on reddit and other social media to help Leonida get the word out.

"It's a reminder of the good of people, which then gives me hope that whoever's got the ring, they're inherently good, too, and they didn't mean to hurt me," he said.

While Leonida can't get more time with his mother, he's hopeful someone can help bring back the one thing that's become timeless to him.

"I still have how she raised me and the legacy she left," he said.

Leonida says his family is offering a $4,000 reward for finding the ring.