Brian later finds Cooper while swimming in the Cooper River . Tovin tracks down Cooper 's identity through social media . Robert Phillips was boating on the Cooper River with his future wife , Nancy , when he lost the ring in 1974 -- just two weeks after he got it . The ring had become the ` ` stuff of legend '' for the Cooper family .
Brian later finds Cooper while swimming in the Cooper River . Tovin tracks down Cooper 's identity through social media . The ring had become the ` ` stuff of legend '' for the Cooper family .