A Bunnell housekeeper accused of stealing a ring valued at $20,000 from her deceased boss and then pawning it was arrested this week, police said.

Ruth Ann Robertson, 57, of Bunnell, was arrested Monday and charged with dealing in stolen property. Robertson was booked into the Flagler County jail and released Monday after posting $25,000 bond.

The case began when a man contacted Bunnell Police on Feb. 14 to say that his deceased wife’s ring, which he said was valued at $40,000, was missing and possibly stolen, police said. An appraiser later placed the ring’s value at $20,000.

The man had found his wife of 53 years unresponsive on the morning of Oct. 28 and called for help. Bunnell Police officers and Flagler County Fire Rescue medics were unable to revive her.

Sometime after, the man realized his wife’s ring was missing. The man and family members searched the home but could not find it and the man contacted Bunnell Police Chief David Brannon.

Bunnell Police Detective Sgt. Shane Groth reviewed video footage from the cameras worn by the two responding police officers, which gave no indication of the ring nor officers having contact with it.

The man allowed Groth and Bunnell Detective Jeff Traylor to search his home to help locate the ring.

Detectives later learned from the man that he and his wife had a housekeeper at the time of his wife’s death.

The man knew the housekeeper as Ruth Ann Brown but detectives later learned her real name was Ruth Ann Robertson.

Detectives checked pawn shop transaction records under both names, revealing that Robertson had an extensive pawn transaction history at Cash-It-In Pawn in Bunnell, police said.

Detectives checked the pawn shop and learned that Robertson had pawned a similar ring similar on Nov. 20.

Detectives then contacted Robertson who said she had been the couple’s housekeeper for about nine years and had developed a close relationship with the deceased woman.

Roberston said she cleaned the home three or four days after the woman died.

Robertson told detectives she did not take the ring but was familiar with it.

Detectives then confronted Robertson with her pawn shop transaction history.

Robertson again denied taking the ring but claimed she had pawned other rings.

Robertson was then confronted with the pawn shop record from Nov. 20. Robertson initially said she could not remember which ring she pawned, police said.

But Robertson eventually admitted she stole the ring from the deceased woman’s home because she was experiencing financial issues, police said.

Robertson also said she wanted something to remember the woman by, police said.

Robertson admitted to detectives she arranged for a friend from Bradenton to come to Bunnell, and pay off her $300 pawn note on the stolen ring and one other ring she pawned, police said.

After paying off the pawned rings, the friend agreed to pay an additional $900 to Robertson for the stolen ring, police said.

Detectives contacted the friend in Bradenton home and she agreed to cooperate and turned over the ring to Bradenton Police. The ring was then returned to the deceased woman’s husband.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida housekeeper accused of stealing dead woman’s $20,000 ring