Found a phone in my garden - isolated property - shit scared

[ScarredBunny]

Name changed for this - Sorry if this seem trivial, I know people are dealing with far bigger things at the moment.

I found a phone lying on the ground, about 5 yards from my house.

We live in an isolated property about a mile away from the first road. We have not have any visitors , maintenance people for many weeks (obviously). Delivery drivers, yes, but they would not have any reason to go to this part of the garden/couldn't access it during daytime without us seeing something.
At first I assumed it belonged to one of us, but no!
Phoned the police, have a ref./case number, etc. but they're busy and will get back to us when they can.
The police said to take the phone indoors and wait for their call/visit.

I am worried that the next visit is going to be from whomever the phone belongs to.
The phone is dead as a dodo but I assume it still can be found?

What should do?

Intriguing. I think it's just a random mystery. If you live so remotely and one mile from one road and 2 miles from the nearest roads, you'd have heard or seen a car. Which you don't seem to have.

So unlikely to be a criminal 'casing' the joint. Unless they were planning to walk for miles to burgle you and then walk back for miles with only what they could carry. That's a lot of effort for little reward.

OP if it’s a single male they will wander to try and find a mate(s). Their parents will have evicted them! They’ll wander quite some distance. Main sign since you have a dog will be him/her becoming agitated and sniffing excessively at points in the garden.

When we had a den behind our back fence our dog was constantly sniffing and patrolling the area.

Plus if you hear weird noises at night a bit like a baby crying it’s a fox marking it’s home!

Ok I sound like a fox geek now 😂

@CreamLinenChairCover it makes a lot of sense!
Can't keep the dog downstairs, stairs too wide for stair gate and the DCs love to have him with them when they are at home. Dog picks which DC's bed he sleeps on.
Done chairs. All lights on including outside.

Is paragliding on the approved list of exercise though?

I think you are right to keep an eye on things and never a bad idea to look at security. I wonder though if these strange times make it more likely that people will walk at odd times or teenagers sneak out at night or something.

@1066vegan, I have seen very little foxes around, we are on an estate with pheasants rearing I think the gamekeepers see to it, but of course still a possibility,. Do they com really close to houses?
Thanks for the links!

I know, what the heck? I didn't hear anything, I was working super late downstairs on my computer. Also the dog was fine/didn't seem to hear anything when inside and only started being really agitated once outside. I guess we'll never know.

How bizarre! I can understand why you are freaked out. Hopefully there is a really simple, non-threatening explanation. There often is with these things.

Would you consider setting up some motion detecting cameras?

@Thepigeonsarecoming thanks, I so hope it's a cool fox with an iphone.
So they can come very close to houses you think?

Lord Peeping Tom

OP I’ve sat in my conservatory and watched a fox mum and her cubs play just outside the door in early evening a couple of years ago. They will come very close to houses, especially if you have bird or hedgehog food out, or water for pets/birds.

‘ If you live remotely do you have an oil tank? Could someone have been casing out that.’

This is credible.
I saw OP’s comment that the phone was not found close to the oil tank, but anyone doing a recce of an oil tank would as likely get closer to the house to work out if people were in & also if anything else was worth nicking.

Oil tank theft is rife.

Oh @ScarredBunny foxes come very close to houses! Living in London we had a family regularly visit inside the house. I've a suspicion that rural foxes keep their distance a little more - not even seen once since coming out to the sticks. I expects as you suggest, the keepers keep them off. Hope you slept OK.

@ScarredBunny have you checked the oil tank?

Any sign of tampering?
Oil level as expected?

In central London, foxes saunter down the street, sunbathe in gardens & party loudly on school nights.

@Inkpaperstars I don't thing it's a paraglider, it's not the type of landscape, but again...
I could conceive that someone could walk through the garden, but that place where it was found is not a 'through' place at all.
I think these strange times make it more likely that weirdoes/crooks have more time on their hands to explore their options.

@Neeentay I certainly hope there is a 'natural' explanation, it just doesn't seem the most obvious one.

I don't know how many people have intruders every year in the UK, it does happen.

@AvalancheKit Hello!
Well, funnily enough, he is called Tom

@UniversalAunt, yes quite possible too, when in for a penny...
We had a whole tank syphoned out year ago - at an other place - we were away at the time, who could have known that? Even more remote a place than this one.

@Thepigeonsarecoming are you in town or in the country?

Tom, Tom the piper’s son stole a pig and away he ran.

This little piggy went to market.
This little piggy stayed at home.
And this little piggy had his head stuffed with an Apple I-phone.

@Shelanagig Foxes inside the house, wow! Didn't sleep a wink. Obv. Maybe tonight I'll be so tired I won't care anymore.

@UniversalAuntI Really? On school nights?
I know they cause all sorts of problems but the sight of a lone fox in a deserted London street at night is so startling and poetic.
You are right the next step is checking the oil level. Just had a delivery too.It's getting light now but I'll go later.

@AvalancheKit so maybe that's what happened !Perfectly innocent when you put it this way.

Are you going to tell us your story @AvalancheKit?

I would have been worried too OP.

Our house is up a lane which is actually part of our drive way and then we have electric gates. No reason for anyone to be here. If a delivery driver dropped a phone it would be on the driveway not on the grass. Certain areas of our garden are fenced off. So I would be very worried to suddenly find a random phone.

In fact I did once find a torch in the garden in a previous house. The day after someone had tried to break in. We were living overseas and our alarm was connected to a security company so they sent a guy. The burglars had moved DS’s climbing frame across the garden and positioned it under a high window and pushed the window in. I heard the bang as they pushed the window in and pressed the panic button on the alarm pad. DH was away and I was in the house alone with DS. The security guy who came saw someone running along the end of the street as he arrived.

Following day I found a small torch lying in the grass.

Nope, it’s your thread and I’m not going to hijack it. I’m drifting off to sleep now the birds are singing. They carry me away.

Anyway, this thread has a long way to go. I’m pretty sure something pig-related is going to crop up on your estate next.