I recently moved into an apartment – not part of a complex, it’s a stand alone building. It’s one bedroom one bathroom with a kitchen studio. There’s an attic which is essentially a 2x2ft hole in an 8ft ceiling and it requires a ladder to get in and out of – never been in it. Mentioning this because I have slight paranoia I have a squatter living with me after finding hairs all over my apartment. I have 24 inch black hair. Around March 1st, I noticed a 7ish inch gray/white hair on the dark rug in my bathroom. I thought maybe it was the previous owners hair stuck in a vent that came out or something. About 2 weeks later I noticed 3 or 4 short white hairs in my hair brush. Again, I have long black hair so I immediately noticed white hairs in my brush. I put the hairs from my brush into a ziploc and wrote where I found them. I then found a few more white hairs on my couch blanket. I washed my blanket and found more hairs the week after I washed said blanket. I put all of these into the ziploc bag and wrote where I found them. I was just sitting on my couch when I noticed a white hair was laying on the back cushion beside me, exactly where a head would rest when sitting on the couch. I am absolutely certain someone is in this apartment when I leave during the day or something. I have collected all hairs in a ziploc and my main question is am I able to send these off for dna testing or something? I’m a young woman living alone scared that something will take a turn for the worse if I don’t investigate this now. All of these hairs are laying on my belongings like they have fallen off the head recently. None of my things are moved or touched in an obvious manner when I am home so I’m assuming this hair is an accidental gift that’s being left without noticing. Please help me, I don’t know what to do or who to call.
EDIT: The apartment is a building that’s above the garage at my parent’s house, though they do not come in/use or have keys to the apartment. It is a few hundred feet away from the house where my parents live, and they are rarely in town so I am alone most days and night. Adding this edit to help with the landlord questions.
Comments
You should call the cops.
Yes you should tell the police and of course you should also tell your landlord
maybe get a camera for inside your apartment? or keep a laptop or computer camera running while youre gone? but i would definitely call the cops anyways bc thats insane. could it possibly be your landlord coming into your apartment while youre gone?
It’s very possible that it’s your hair. I had greys in my 20s and that was before all the current stress going on in the world.
But cops are free and cameras are cheap.
I would inspect everything for a possible squatter and the perimeter and everyplace that could be an entry point for an intruder, with cops or friends Who has keys other than land lord?
Web cams, internet connected surveillance, some Alexa devices, etc can let you observe your space when away.
Put a hidden camera up
Make sure when you call the cops to call the non-emergency line. Find your local police stations phone number and dial them then explain the situation.
Don’t say squatter if you call police. Say you feel someone is intruding in your home/apartment and trespassing while you are away
I wouldn’t worry. I don’t think the cops will do much if you call them. I would talk to your landlord too. Just cover your bases. If the landlord tells you that you need a report I would call the cops. But in my experience they just mocked me when I called them to help. it was a complete waste of time.
I could be wrong though. I would start with the landlord though.
Good advice here….let’s hope it is a cat or raccoon…
You or someone else could poke your phone up into the attic and take photos with the flash on to see what’s up there without going in
I’d be creeped out in this situ too, but it’d be pretty weird for someone to come into your house and use your harbrush but not take or do anything else. I’d change the locks personally in case its a former tenant
Get your dad to check the attic.
Please call the police and talk to your landlord. Better safe than sorry.
Commenting on Am I in danger? Do I contact police?… get someone to look in the roof ffs what is wrong with you?
Phrogging is my worst nightmare. Take all precautions that is creepy beyond belief. A while back my roommate and I came home to find a bath towel on our couch that belonged to neither of us and it was horrifying. To this day we have no idea where the towel came from.
A camera is an obvious solution.
On top of all of the other advice, a CO alarm might also be a wise investment.
Honestly I think it’s either your parents or your own paranoia/OCD.
Buy a small video camera you can easily hide to monitor inside your house to gather evidence
Do you share washer/dryer with other tenants?
Install a camera(s) in a place(s) where it cannot be seen. A hidden camera allowed my friend to see someone entering her apartment unsolicited (not invited or requested). Which you can get realtime notifications of any intrusion. This might even ease your mind a bit & you will then have the evidence you need. Hopefully you find out it’s just a small critter. You might want to have the landlord repair/seal any unnatural holes or openings.
Maybe instead of saving hairs in a ziplock bag for 6 weeks, buy and setup a couple cameras?
Not to doubt any of this… it genuinely has me freaked out, but are you 100% sure you don’t have greys?
Bring a few friends and some weapons into the attic to check! I’m sure they’d be stoked to help, I would
Can’t you speak to your parents and see if you can stay in their house until you are sure there’s nobody in yours? If your parents are often out of town surely they wouldn’t mind you staying in your old room?
Definitely possible it’s your own hair. Especially since that’s the only thing that seems off. I’d imagine if someone came in enough times to leave hair in multiple locations they would’ve moved something else (cups, pillow, blanket, etc) that you would’ve noticed.
BUT
If you do definitely have a fear of this better to call cops, set up some kind of camera (system), security, etc.
Better to over react to nothing then under react to something.
Everyone poos and pees. Put something in the toilet. If it disappears then someone flushed it. :0
Hi Op don’t be intimidated to call the police’s non emergency line and say hi I hear a noise upstairs can you come check? I have don’t this many times bc I am a scaredy cat-the police always come and they will check your entire space from top to bottom. It’s better to be safe than sorry. They do not mind helping. It’s their job to investigate
Do you have a trusted friend who perhaps could stay with you as extra eyes & ears and safety until you get this sorted out? Have you considered a dog? But definitely install cameras. I suggest several. Some overt and some covert. A trail cam outside the house, in a tree watching the door could be useful in addition to indoor cams. Are all your windows locked? Check and see if there is anyone in your area that does safety audits. Some police departments offer this service for free. Good luck and keep us posted!
Not trying to sound rude or disrespectful, but is there no one you can ask to come over and scope out the place together? Parents, friends, neighbors. Hell, wouldn’t police come by for a quick visit if you explain what’s going on? Seems like that should be a part of their job
Do you know anyone or sit beside anyone at college whose hair matches what you’ve found? It could be a simple case of someone you’re close to losing a few strand of hair on you during the day and it transfer to your apartment.
If you haven’t left for your sisters yet, there’s something you can do to check if someone enters before you get home. Use masking tape that you’ve written/drawn on over the seam of the attic door, inside windows and outside on the external door when you leave. As unobtrusively as possible. Take photos. Idea being that no one can enter without breaking the tape. And they can’t just put more tape because you know your writing/drawing.
Don’t get the police, get a small cam from aliexpress, I have a few motion detectors and they work great. It may be a harmless thing. But you have evidence if it’s not. Police do nothing honestly. At least if they just chilling you can work it out, police involved you’ll never speak again! Baby Reindeer shit going on haha
Have the locksmith put a lock on the attic access door, and have him/her check all your windows to see if they are secure.
That’s creepy AF, but I think you’re overreacting just a bit though. I mean for real, get an appropriate sized ladder or whatever your dad uses to get up in the attic, or here’s an idea, use your phone camera on a selfie stick and video the attic like that?? That could work right?
Nah mate it’s normal don’t worry, I did it with my family! Well one freak who was in the house, won’t go into it, sisters ex.. mad weirdo!
I know this isn’t the thread to post this but I read a paper article years ago and a family were downstairs in the g
House and the dad told a joke. They found out they had a squatter when they heard someone laughing at the joke in the attic!
Best of luck
Sounds to me that there may be a homeless person entering your apartment when you are not at home to sleep on the sofa and clean themselves up in your bathroom. The person has probably figured out how to get into your place without keys. I’ve seen this before. If so, then they don’t want to hurt you, they just don’t want to be discovered. Put the nanny cam facing the sofa as that is where you found most of the hairs. The other case might be that someone else has keys to your place for emergency purposes. In which case that person has been getting their kicks out of being where they don’t belong. Your parents might have done this because they are away so much and they are concerned about you being on your own. A nanny cam is the way to go.
By some board and screw it in over/under the manhole. If anyone is there, they won’t be able to get out!
It’s better to be safe then sorry. You only have 1 life. So be as paranoid and observant as you can. Definitely get someone to check the attic if you think there is even a chance somebody is up there. Safety is number 1 priority.
Just put a few screws in the attic door sealing it up and see if anyone starts screaming for help in the next few days.
If they do, don’t let them out until you have someone there with you.
Can’t you stay in your parents house until this is resolved? What parent would allow their kid to be basically rooming with a stranger? Good heavens, change the locks! Remove the attic ladder. Call police that you think you may have an intruder when you’re supposed to be living alone. Why waste time with traps, just set up a camera and notify neighbors to tell you if they see anything suspicious.
Get a camera and hide it in your apartment. You’ll have your answer pretty quickly.
It is possible that these are yours and falling out quickly.
Be wary of course but find out for sure with the camera and act accordingly
Get some cayenne pepper and vaseline make a good strong mix and rub it on the door handles or wherever you think this something will touch the inside of handle your hair brush just remember that you did it so you don’t burn your self also put baking powder or something white that they would leave prints in. Also you could but a bomb in the attic bug bommbs just start um and whip um up there and wait outside somebody will come out if there up there
Lock the outside door every time yo leave your apartment.
Also turn the water off and breaker box of no electricity no water you gotta make it, inconvenient, uncomfortable and hazardous so they don’t want to be there. Also don’t trust anyone people are liars , they could have cameras watching you , the point is they are messing with your peace . Get tough light that place up bright lights
I watch a lot of old movies, and in some of them, I have seen a character place a tiny scrap of paper in the crack of the door, near the hinge. When they return, if the paper is on the floor, it means that someone has entered the room. just a thought you might try doing that on all of ur doors in the apartment close all the doors up with bits of paper and see if any are missing when you come back.
How to Tell if Someone’s Been in Your House While You’re Away, According to a Former CIA Officer
I need updates! You are so strong!
Is there a precious tenant who still has a key and is letting themselves in?
Setting up a motion activated trail cam would definitely be a good idea.
Turn off the electricity and water
If it’s in an attached garage they might be blowing in from a shared force air system? If so, change your filters 20 years ago.
Can get a motion activated camera for less than 30 dollars. It can be be watched from your phone so even if it was taken you still would have the recording.
Or
Call the police/fire department and say you smell burning wire coming from the attic. They will come check out the space and would see if someone was up there.
Just put a ring doorbell & camera in your room where you found hair. Also is it possible you’ve picked up the hairs on you person while out & brought them back? And change locks
Fumigate. Get a bug bomb.
Ok, so this isn’t the best advice in this thread, but I have a silly habit of stacking/standing things, like stacking the apples in the fruit bowl, standing pencils and markers on their end, seeing how high I can stack all the shit my wife leaves on the counter, etc. It’s not that weird, ok? Although, sometimes, the counter looks a little Twilight Zoney. I also only have two or three places for anything important; like, my wallet, for example, is always in my pocket, on the corner of my desk at work, or in my truck. Anyway, I can’t tell you how many times I have noticed that someone touched or moved or messed with shit because of those two things. Like when I put stuff in the fridge, I’ll stack it precariously on a shelf and then see that the kids must’ve gotten into it because I’m the only weirdo who plays blocks with the groceries. If you put some shit in very specific orders on your couch, counter, floor, eventually, it will get knocked over and shuffled if someone is there. JUST BE CAREFUL to remember or write down—seems like that’s in your nature anyway—how you left it because you could drive yourself crazy if you start getting confused as to how it was, is it changed, etc. You get it.
Please update. We’re all hoping for a good outcome… ideally a sweet orphan puppy who is hiding in your place that you adopt and grow up to fight crime with.
Just install internet camera.
You don’t need a CO detector if you don’t have a sources of combustion in your home.
Put in some cameras so you can see what’s going on during the day
Please update this, or make an update post when you figure out what’s going on.
You can get a cheap spy camera very cheap on temu