Full transcript
0:13When I was in high school, my parents
0:15were overbearing.
0:17Not bad parents by any means. They were
0:19loving and somewhat supportive.
0:21They just unfortunately held the leash a
0:23little too tightly.
0:25They were strict and overprotective.
0:28The way I chose to rebel against that
0:29was by sneaking out at night.
0:32Which sounds a lot worse than it
0:33actually was in my case.
0:35I wouldn't sneak out and do anything
0:36illegal or harmful.
0:38I wouldn't even meet up with friends.
0:40I would literally just sneak out and go
0:42for these long walks at night by myself.
0:45At first, it was just something I did
0:47for freedom.
0:48A way to separate from my parents
0:50without them knowing.
0:52My mom was such a nervous person [music]
0:53back then.
0:54If she had found out that I was sneaking
0:56out almost nightly, she would have
0:58probably had a heart attack.
1:00I feel like I also need to clarify
1:02something.
1:03Back when I was in high school, the
1:04internet was relatively newish.
1:07We didn't have this oversaturation of
1:08terrible news.
1:10In my small town, unless you watch the
1:12nightly news, you really didn't have
1:14your finger on the pulse of what was
1:15happening in the world.
1:17As a result, I grew up quite ignorant in
1:19those days.
1:21The area I lived in was quiet, desolate,
1:23and rarely had any crime.
1:25So, sneaking out and walking around
1:27alone in the middle of the night was not
1:28something that terrified me or made me
1:30feel any type of way.
1:32When you grow up as sheltered as I did
1:34in an area like mine, you just aren't
1:36aware of all the horrible things that
1:37can happen to you when you're alone.
1:39This is how I found myself in one of the
1:41most horrifying situations I've ever
1:43been in.
1:45It was a Friday night, so I snuck out a
1:46bit later than I would have if it were a
1:48school night.
1:49I don't know the exact time, but I know
1:51for sure it was after 1:00 in the
1:52morning.
1:54That was always my favorite time to
1:55sneak out because it was so quiet
1:56outside.
1:58You could hear all the sounds of nature
1:59at night that you couldn't hear during
2:00the day.
2:02On the one road that I was walking down,
2:04there were houses on my left and a
2:06heavily wooded area on my right.
2:08As I was walking down the road, I heard
2:10something coming from the trees.
2:13It didn't sound like the wind or any
2:14other sound I was accustomed to hearing
2:16at night.
2:17I stopped walking and looked at the
2:19trees, but I didn't see anything. It was
2:21too dark to see anything except trees.
2:24Just when I was going to start walking,
2:26I heard a voice come from the trees.
2:28I didn't answer.
2:30I know I said I was ignorant, but that
2:32doesn't mean I was stupid enough to not
2:33know the most important rule of them
2:35all. Don't talk to strangers.
2:38While I was just standing there trying
2:39to figure out exactly where the voice
2:41was coming from,
2:42I heard it again.
2:44I don't think I would say I was freaked
2:45out just yet, but I didn't feel great
2:47about the voice coming from the tree
2:48line.
2:50I was about to walk away when the voice
2:52spoke up again.
2:53But this time, it sounded more frantic,
2:55almost nervous.
2:57The voice said,
2:58"Hey, can you please help me for a
2:59second?"
3:01I know this is stupid, but I started
3:03making my way over to the trees.
3:05I was naive, and not to mention, the
3:07last time the voice spoke, it sounded
3:09like it might have been in trouble.
3:11I was taking it real slow as I walked
3:13closer to the trees.
3:15I shouted in the direction of the voice
3:17that I didn't see them yet.
3:19I kept creeping closer to the trees
3:21until I was standing at the tip of the
3:22tree line.
3:24I heard the voice much [music] clearer
3:25now.
3:27They said, "Just a little further up. I
3:29could really use a hand."
3:31I was looking in every direction, but I
3:32still couldn't see a person. Nothing but
3:35trees in the dark.
3:37Every time I thought I saw something,
3:39when I would focus my eyes, it turned
3:40out to just be a tree or a branch.
3:43While I was standing there scanning the
3:44dark forest, all I could focus on was
3:47this rancid smell.
3:49It smelled like a dead animal.
3:51I remember thinking to myself that maybe
3:53this person had an unfortunate encounter
3:55with an animal and he had to defend
3:56himself, hence the smell of a dead
3:58animal.
3:59However, I didn't see a dead animal
4:01either.
4:03I decided to call out to the person
4:04again, but this time there wasn't an
4:06answer.
4:08The quietness was almost scary.
4:11Usually you could hear the wind blowing
4:12through the trees, crickets, and a ton
4:14of other sounds in the forest at night,
4:16but it was dead quiet.
4:19I waited about 20 seconds and then I
4:20called out again, this time a little
4:22louder.
4:24Immediately they responded and the voice
4:26was much deeper and sounded almost
4:28sinister.
4:30It said,
4:31>> "No."
4:32>> I was confused at first. I just didn't
4:35have enough time to even form an opinion
4:36of what was happening.
4:38Before I could even act,
4:39>> [music]
4:39>> the voice spoke again
4:41and this time it sounded even more upset
4:43as it screamed,
4:45>> "Leave."
4:47>> I wasn't sure what was going on.
4:49I still didn't see anything even after
4:50the voice screamed at me.
4:52The voice was clearly coming from the
4:54direction I was facing, but nothing
4:55could be seen except trees.
4:58I mean, it sounded like whatever was
4:59talking to me was literally right in
5:00front of me even though nothing was
5:02there.
5:03I was sure that this was someone messing
5:05with me somehow, but I wasn't going to
5:07stick around and find out.
5:09I turned around and started heading back
5:10toward my house.
5:12I wouldn't say I was running, but I was
5:13moving with some pep in my step.
5:16While I was walking back to my house,
5:18I thought I saw something out of the
5:19corner of my eye.
5:21When I turned around, I didn't see
5:23anything.
5:24Having that weird encounter in the trees
5:26had me feeling on edge.
5:28I started moving a little faster now.
5:30I was almost running.
5:32It was about 2 minutes later and I could
5:34clearly hear someone or something behind
5:36me.
5:37Every time I would turn around, nothing
5:39would be there.
5:40Then I started to sprint.
5:42I wasn't playing around anymore. I knew
5:44something wasn't right.
5:46When I got to the end of the street that
5:47I was currently sprinting down, I turned
5:49around one last time.
5:51I still can't fully comprehend what I
5:53saw.
5:54There was a silhouette of a very tall,
5:56strange figure standing in the middle of
5:58the street.
5:59It was too dark to see any features.
6:02All I could see was the unnatural
6:03looking shape of the figure.
6:06I had been looking back every few
6:07seconds while I was sprinting down the
6:08street, and I didn't see anything.
6:11Now, all of a sudden, this person was in
6:14the middle of the road.
6:15I know I should have just turned around
6:17and kept running, but I was so scared
6:19that I felt like I couldn't move.
6:21It was the first time in my life that I
6:23had been that scared.
6:25I was sure that this person or thing was
6:26about to charge at me, but it didn't.
6:29In the brief time that we had this
6:31standoff, I tried to take in every
6:33detail I could.
6:34When I say the figure was tall, I mean
6:37it was extremely tall.
6:39It was also very skinny, which somehow
6:40made this much worse.
6:42Something about the height to weight
6:44ratio just felt unnatural.
6:46Instead of coming after me, it turned
6:48and walked into the woods, disappearing
6:50into the trees.
6:52But the most disturbing part was the way
6:53it looked when it walked away.
6:56It wasn't like a normal person walking.
6:58It was the most unnatural walk I've ever
7:00seen.
7:01Its legs flung out as it took a massive
7:03step.
7:04Once it had fully disappeared into the
7:06trees, I was finally able to move. And
7:08when I did, I ran back to my house as
7:10fast as I could.
7:12Every few seconds, I would turn around
7:14to make sure this thing wasn't chasing
7:15me,
7:16even though it wasn't.
7:18It didn't make me any less scared.
7:20I kid you not, when I got home, I
7:22checked every single window lock in the
7:23house and made sure everything was
7:25sealed shut.
7:27I sat next to my bedroom window and
7:28stared out into the street for the
7:30entire night.
7:31At any moment, I expected to see
7:33whatever that was unnaturally walking
7:35down the street.
7:37I never saw it again.
7:39Not that night or any other night.
7:41That's probably because I never snuck
7:43out ever again after that.
7:45I don't know if it was a prank or
7:46someone who meant me harm.
7:49This happened to me many years ago now,
7:51and I still can't explain it.
7:53In all the years since this happened, I
7:55have never once experienced anything
7:57even remotely like this.
7:59The memory of whatever or whoever that
8:01was walking into the forest is something
8:03that is burned into my head forever.
8:13>> [music]
8:17>> When I was 20, I worked the closing
8:19shift at a grocery store about 2 miles
8:21from my apartment. I usually drove, but
8:24one afternoon my car would not start,
8:25and my roommate dropped me off on his
8:27way to work.
8:28He was supposed to pick me up when my
8:30shift ended, but around 11:00 he texted
8:32me that he had been drinking at a
8:33coworker's house and couldn't drive.
8:36I could have called a cab, but I didn't
8:38want to pay for one when the walk home
8:39took less than 40 minutes.
8:41The route followed a two-lane road
8:43through the edge of town.
8:44There were houses for the first half
8:46mile, then a long section of woods and
8:48undeveloped property before the road
8:50reached my apartment complex.
8:52I had walked it during the day several
8:53times. At night, it was a completely
8:56different story.
8:57There were no streetlights after the
8:58last row of houses.
9:00I turned on the flashlight on my phone
9:02and walked along the shoulder facing
9:03traffic.
9:05It was cold enough that I could see my
9:06breath.
9:08There were no cars and no lights coming
9:09from the houses behind me.
9:12About 10 minutes into the walk, I heard
9:14something moving [music] in the trees on
9:15the opposite side of the road.
9:17It sounded too heavy to be a squirrel,
9:19but deer were common in that area, so I
9:21kept walking.
9:23A few seconds [music] later, I heard it
9:24again.
9:26The sound moved through the leaves at
9:27roughly the same pace I was walking.
9:29[music]
9:30When I stopped, it stopped.
9:32I pointed my flashlight across the road,
9:34but it only reached the first few trees.
9:37I saw nothing between them.
9:39I started walking faster.
9:42The movement continued.
9:43Every few steps, there would be a quick
9:45series of crunches followed by silence.
9:48I figured it was an animal following me
9:50because it was curious.
9:52Then I heard a cough.
9:53>> [laughter]
9:55>> It was quiet and muffled as if whoever
9:57made it had tried to suppress it.
9:59I stopped in the road and aimed my light
10:01into the woods.
10:02I waited for someone to step out or
10:04identify by themselves, but nothing
10:06happened.
10:07I called my roommate and he didn't
10:09answer.
10:10I called again [music] and let it ring
10:12while I kept walking.
10:14I had reached the darkest part of the
10:15route where the road crossed a drainage
10:17channel through the woods.
10:19A concrete culvert ran under the road
10:21and metal guardrails bordered both
10:22shoulders.
10:24I had to pass directly over it.
10:27The noise in the trees stopped as I
10:28approached the guardrail.
10:30I noticed a bicycle lying on its side in
10:32the weeds.
10:33It was an old mountain bike with no
10:35reflectors.
10:36It had been placed far enough away from
10:38the road that a driver probably would
10:39not see it.
10:41I knew then that the person in the woods
10:43had not wandered there by accident.
10:45My roommate finally answered, but he was
10:47drunk and could barely understand what I
10:49was saying.
10:51I told him someone was following me and
10:52asked him to stay on the phone.
10:54He suggested it might be a deer.
10:57While I was trying to explain that I
10:58heard a person cough,
11:00a small rock rolled out from the woods
11:01behind me and struck the pavement.
11:05I turned around.
11:06A man was standing behind the guardrail
11:08about 60 ft away.
11:10I could only see his outline.
11:12He was tall and wearing a hooded
11:13sweatshirt.
11:15He didn't move when my light passed over
11:17him.
11:18I asked what he wanted. He gave no
11:20response.
11:22My roommate heard me and became more
11:23alert.
11:25He told me to run.
11:26I crossed the culvert and [music]
11:27sprinted down the shoulder.
11:29For several seconds, I heard nothing
11:31except my own shoes hitting the
11:32pavement.
11:34Then footsteps began behind me.
11:36They were fast and uneven, coming from
11:38the road rather than the woods.
11:40I looked back and saw the man running
11:42after me.
11:43He wasn't close enough to grab me, but
11:45he was gaining.
11:47I left the road and climbed over the
11:48guardrail on the far side of the
11:49culvert.
11:51There was a steep dirt slope leading
11:52down the drainage channel.
11:55I slid most of the way and landed in
11:56shallow water.
11:58My phone flew out of my hand and went
12:00dark when it hit the rocks.
12:02I could hear my roommate's voice coming
12:03from it,
12:04but I did not stop to pick it up.
12:07The channel continued toward my
12:08apartment complex and was bordered by
12:10thick brush.
12:11I ran through the water hoping the man
12:13would stay on the road.
12:15I made it about 100 yards before the
12:16channel narrowed and became blocked by
12:18fallen branches.
12:20I crawled beneath them and climbed onto
12:21the bank.
12:23There was a large uprooted tree nearby.
12:26The hole where its roots had been formed
12:27a shallow depression in the ground.
12:29I got inside it and pulled dead branches
12:31over myself.
12:33Less than a minute later, I heard
12:35something moving along the channel.
12:37He was no longer running.
12:39He walked slowly through the water,
12:41stopping every few steps.
12:43I could hear him breathing.
12:45He reached the fallen [music] branches
12:46and stood on the other side of them.
12:49The light from his phone moved across
12:50the bank and passed over the tree where
12:52I was hiding.
12:53I pressed my face into the dirt and
12:55tried not to move.
12:56He climbed around the blockage and came
12:58closer.
12:59His shoes scraped over the rocks until
13:01he was only a few feet away.
13:03The light moved across the branches
13:04above my head.
13:06I could see part of his face through a
13:07gap.
13:09He looked older than I expected,
13:11possibly in his 40s.
13:13He had a thin gray beard and a deep cut
13:15or scar running from the corner of his
13:16mouth toward his chin.
13:18He stayed there for almost a minute.
13:20At one point, he crouched down and aimed
13:22the light directly into the depression.
13:25A branch was covering most of my face,
13:26but I was sure he could see me.
13:29His light remained still.
13:31Then it moved away.
13:33He stood and continued along the
13:34channel.
13:35I remained in the dirt until I could no
13:37longer hear him.
13:39I was afraid he had only pretended to
13:40leave, so I waited several more minutes
13:42before crawling out.
13:44I moved uphill through the woods instead
13:46of following the channel.
13:48I could see the glow from my apartment
13:49complex through the trees.
13:51I had nearly reached the rear fence when
13:53another light appeared behind me.
13:56It was moving quickly from side to side.
13:58The man had doubled back.
14:00I ran toward the fence and began
14:01climbing.
14:03It was chain link and about 8 ft tall.
14:06My jacket caught on the wire at the top.
14:08I pulled hard enough to tear it and
14:10dropped onto the other side.
14:12I landed badly and twisted my ankle, but
14:14I kept moving.
14:16The fence enclosed a row of ground-floor
14:18patios.
14:19I banged on the first sliding door I
14:21reached.
14:22The apartment was dark.
14:24I tried the next one and saw a TV on
14:26inside.
14:28A woman opened the curtain and looked at
14:29me.
14:31I pointed toward the fence and begged
14:32her to call the police.
14:34She hesitated, then saw the man standing
14:36among the trees on the other side.
14:39He had turned off his light, but the
14:40security lamps from the complex made him
14:42visible.
14:43He was watching us through the fence.
14:45The woman let me inside and locked the
14:47door.
14:48Her husband called the police while I
14:50watched the tree line.
14:51The man remained there until we heard
14:53sirens approaching.
14:55Then he walked back into the woods.
14:57Officers searched the area with dogs,
14:59but they didn't find him.
15:01They recovered my phone beside the
15:02culvert and found the bicycle in the
15:04weeds. The bike had been reported stolen
15:062 weeks earlier.
15:08One officer found a backpack hidden
15:10beneath the bridge.
15:11Inside were bottles of water, rope, duct
15:14tape, a folding knife, several pairs of
15:17disposable gloves, and a stack of
15:18women's clothing.
15:20Some of the clothing looked old and
15:22dirty, but one sweatshirt was still damp
15:24from [music] being washed.
15:25The police took everything as evidence.
15:27They told me the man may have been
15:29living somewhere in the woods, although
15:30they never found a camp.
15:32No one was arrested.
15:34A few months later, I moved to another
15:36part of town.
15:38I tried to forget about the walk, but
15:39one detail continued to bother me.
15:42When the woman let me into her
15:43apartment, I had looked through the
15:45glass and seen the man at the fence.
15:48He had not been looking at me.
15:50He had been staring at the woman who
15:52opened the door
15:53before he disappeared. He raised one
15:55hand and slowly pointed at her.
15:58About a year later, I saw her husband at
16:00a gas station.
16:02I asked if they still lived in the
16:03apartment. He said they had moved soon
16:05after the incident because someone began
16:07leaving dead animals on their patio.
16:09The first was a bird, the second was a
16:11rabbit, the last was a cat with a strip
16:14of gray fabric tied around its neck.
16:17Her husband didn't know why my
16:18expression changed when he told me that.
16:20I did.
16:22The fabric matched the hooded sweatshirt
16:24that the man had been wearing the night
16:25he followed me.
16:37This happened 5 years ago when I lived
16:38with my parents in a quiet neighborhood
16:40outside Columbus.
16:42I had recently started working from home
16:44and spent most days sitting in my
16:45bedroom.
16:46To get some exercise, I began taking
16:48walks at night.
16:50I preferred going after midnight because
16:52streets were empty and the temperature
16:53was cooler.
16:55My usual route made a large loop through
16:57several connected neighborhoods and took
16:59about an hour.
17:01The area was considered safe.
17:03Most of the houses were newer with small
17:05yards and video doorbells.
17:07I never carried anything for protection
17:09because I was rarely more than 15
17:10minutes from home.
17:12One Friday night, I left around 12:30.
17:15It had rained earlier and the streets
17:17were still wet.
17:18Fog had settled over the lowest parts of
17:20the neighborhood.
17:22I was about halfway through the loop
17:23when I noticed a white cargo van parked
17:25beside some playgrounds.
17:28It was facing the wrong direction and
17:29had no lights on.
17:31I had seen work vans parked around the
17:33neighborhood before, so I didn't think
17:35much of it until I passed the driver's
17:37side.
17:38Someone was sitting behind the wheel.
17:40The interior was dark, but I could see
17:42the red tip of a cigarette near the
17:44person's face.
17:46I kept walking without looking directly
17:47at him.
17:49When I reached the end of the block, I
17:50heard an engine start.
17:52The van pulled away from the playground
17:54and drove past me.
17:56It continued through the intersection
17:57and disappeared around a curve.
18:00I assumed the driver had been waiting
18:01for someone.
18:03A few minutes later, I saw the van
18:05again.
18:06It was parked on a side street ahead of
18:08me with its lights off.
18:10This time, the driver's door was open.
18:13I crossed the road and [music] turned
18:14down another street before reaching it.
18:16I walked quickly, but tried not to run.
18:19I could hear an engine idling behind the
18:21houses,
18:22though I could not tell if it was the
18:23same van. [music]
18:25I took out my phone and called my
18:26father.
18:27He was asleep and didn't answer.
18:30I considered calling the police, but all
18:32I could report was a suspicious van that
18:33had passed [music] me once.
18:35I decided to shorten my route and head
18:37directly home.
18:39The fastest [music] way back was through
18:40a narrow paved path that connected two
18:42dead-end streets.
18:44The path ran between wooden privacy
18:46fences and was about 200 yards long.
18:49There were no lights along it.
18:51I had used it a dozen times, but as soon
18:53as I entered, I regretted it.
18:56The fences were too high to climb
18:58quickly, and the path was only wide
18:59enough for two people to walk side by
19:01side.
19:03I turned on my phone's flashlight.
19:05About halfway through, I heard the faint
19:07squeak of a gate behind me.
19:09I looked back and saw the beam of
19:11another light enter the path.
19:13It was far enough away that I could not
19:15see who [music] was holding it.
19:17I picked up my pace.
19:18The light began moving faster. Whoever
19:20was behind me did not call out or tell
19:22me to stop.
19:24I reached the far end of the path and
19:25ran into the next street.
19:27Several houses [music] had porch lights
19:29on, but every window was dark.
19:32I looked back and saw a man step out
19:34from between the fences. [music]
19:36He wore dark pants and a light-colored
19:38jacket.
19:39He stopped when he realized I was
19:41watching him.
19:42I asked if he needed something.
19:44He tilted his head slightly but said
19:46nothing.
19:47Then he took one step toward me.
19:50I ran.
19:51My house was eight blocks away.
19:53>> [music]
19:53>> I cut across front lawns and checked
19:55behind me whenever I reached a street
19:56light.
19:57I did not see the man again, but I could
19:59hear a vehicle moving slowly on the
20:00parallel roads.
20:02I took several turns and entered my
20:04neighborhood from the opposite side.
20:06By then, I had convinced myself I had
20:08lost him.
20:10I reached my house at 1:20 in the
20:12morning.
20:13The porch light was off and my parents'
20:15bedroom windows were dark.
20:17I unlocked the front door and went
20:18inside.
20:20Our dog Murphy was standing in the
20:21hallway.
20:23He was normally excited when anyone came
20:24home, but he did not approach me.
20:27His body was stiff and he was staring
20:29toward the kitchen.
20:31I assumed he had heard an animal
20:32outside.
20:34I locked the door behind me and checked
20:35the rooms on the first floor.
20:37Everything seemed normal.
20:39When I entered the kitchen, I noticed
20:41the door leading into the garage was
20:43open a few inches.
20:45My parents always kept it closed because
20:46the hinges squeaked whenever it moved.
20:49I pushed it shut and checked the lock.
20:52It had not been locked.
20:54I blamed my father who had taken the
20:55trash out earlier that evening.
20:58I went upstairs, changed clothes, and
21:00got into bed.
21:01Murphy followed me but remained near the
21:03bedroom door.
21:05Around 20 minutes later, I heard the
21:07garage door squeak.
21:18Murphy stirred and growled.
21:21I grabbed my phone and locked my bedroom
21:22door.
21:24I called my father. His room was on the
21:26other side of the hall, and I did not
21:28want to shout if someone was downstairs.
21:31He answered after several rings.
21:33I told him I thought someone had entered
21:35the house through the garage. He said he
21:37would check.
21:38Murphy continued growling.
21:41My father reached the first floor and
21:42switched on the hallway light.
21:44A few seconds later, he called up that
21:46the garage door was open again.
21:49He closed it and locked it, then
21:51searched the garage.
21:53No one was there.
21:54He checked the large overhead door and
21:56found it partially raised, leaving a gap
21:58of about a foot at the bottom.
22:00He closed it and blamed a faulty sensor.
22:03I told him about the van and the man who
22:05had followed me.
22:07He became concerned and called the
22:08non-emergency police number.
22:10While he was speaking to the dispatcher,
22:13I looked out my bedroom window.
22:15A white cargo van was parked three
22:17houses down. Its lights were off.
22:20I told my father, and he relayed the
22:22information.
22:23An officer was sent to our street.
22:25Before the police arrived, the van began
22:27moving.
22:29It passed our house slowly.
22:31As it went under a street light, I saw
22:33that the driver's window was down.
22:35The man behind the wheel was looking up
22:37at my bedroom.
22:38I stepped away from the window.
22:40The van turned at the end of the street,
22:42and it didn't return.
22:45The officer arrived 10 minutes later and
22:47searched around the property.
22:48He found muddy shoe prints beside the
22:50garage and a fresh scrape near the
22:51bottom of the overhead door.
22:54Someone had used a tool to lift it high
22:55enough to crawl underneath.
22:57The officer believed the person had
22:59entered the garage before I got home and
23:01had been inside when I walked into the
23:02house.
23:04That explained why Murphy had been
23:05staring toward the kitchen and why the
23:07door was already open.
23:08The intruder must have hidden behind one
23:10of the cars or storage shelves while I
23:12checked the garage entrance.
23:14He probably waited until I went
23:15upstairs, then opened the interior door
23:18to enter the house.
23:19When he heard my father coming down,
23:21he escaped through the garage.
23:23The officer took a report, but we had no
23:25cameras and could not provide a license
23:27plate.
23:28My parents installed an alarm system the
23:30next day.
23:31I stopped walking at night.
23:33For several weeks, nothing else
23:35happened.
23:36Then my mother found a phone beneath a
23:38hedge beside our driveway.
23:40It was an old prepaid phone wrapped in a
23:41plastic bag.
23:43The battery was dead.
23:45The police charged it and found that
23:47almost everything had been deleted.
23:49There were no contacts, messages, or
23:51internet history.
23:52The photo gallery contained 11 pictures.
23:55The first six were photographs of me
23:57taken during different night walks.
24:00Some had been taken from inside a
24:01vehicle. One showed me passing the
24:03playground where the van had been
24:04parked.
24:06Another showed me entering the narrow
24:07path between the fences.
24:09The last five photographs were of our
24:11house.
24:13Two were taken from across the street.
24:15Three were taken from our backyard.
24:17The most recent picture showed the
24:18kitchen door leading into the garage.
24:21According to the timestamp, it had been
24:23taken four nights before I noticed the
24:25van.
24:27The police checked reports from
24:28surrounding neighborhoods and found
24:29several complaints about a white cargo
24:31van, but none included a license plate.
24:34They were unable to identify the owner
24:36of the phone.
24:38My parents sold the house the following
24:39spring.
24:40On the day we moved, I helped my father
24:43clear out the garage.
24:44Behind a metal shelving unit, we found a
24:47small circular hole drilled through the
24:49wall into the laundry room.
24:51It was positioned at waist height and
24:53hidden on both sides by furniture.
24:56The edge of the hole was clean and the
24:57exposed wood was pale, which meant it
24:59had been drilled recently.
25:02My father thought the intruder had made
25:03it while hiding in the garage, but that
25:05didn't make sense.
25:07He wouldn't have had enough time, and
25:08drilling through the wall would have
25:09made too much noise.
25:11Someone had entered the garage before
25:13that night and spent enough time inside
25:15to choose a hidden location and make the
25:17hole.
25:18The police inspected it, but found no
25:20fingerprints.
25:22After we moved, I tried searching online
25:24for similar incidents.
25:26I found a post in a neighborhood group
25:28written by the woman who bought our
25:29house.
25:30She said her family kept hearing noises
25:32from the garage after midnight.
25:34Tools had been moved. Food had
25:36disappeared from the refrigerator, and
25:38the overhead door was sometimes open in
25:39the morning.
25:40People in the comments blamed animals or
25:42a defective motor.
25:44I contacted her privately and explained
25:46what had happened to us.
25:47She did not respond.
25:49The post was deleted that evening.
25:52Two weeks later,
25:53the house appeared for sale again.
25:56It had been vacant for less than a month
25:57when a fire started in the garage.
26:00Investigators ruled it accidental,
26:02although the electricity had been
26:03disconnected and there were no vehicles
26:05inside.
26:06The house was repaired and eventually
26:08sold to another family.
26:10I sometimes look at it on street view
26:12websites.
26:14I'm not sure if it's still vacant or
26:15not.