what to do

[+sasqwatches]

I have a cache Kind of unique like all my others and only a few finds into it the last finder has broken the door right off of the hiding place and took all but one of the trackables that was on Monday. He has yet to log his find or log the trackables into his possession. I have disabled the cache so I can fix it this weekend. he did a poor job of scribbling his name in the log book so it is unreadable, so I have no way of contacting him to remind him to log. How much longer should I wait until I inform the trackable owners of lost, items??

[+Bear and Ragged]

Are you sure it's not muggles?

[+palmetto]

the last finder has broken the door right off of the hiding place and took all but one of the trackables that was on Monday. He has yet to log his find or log the trackables into his possession.

 

The last finder was likely a neighborhood child, and not a geocacher.

 

I'd wait a while, a couple of weeks perhaps, and then mark the TBs missing. You can do that from the TB links on your cache page.

[Mr.Yuck]

Are you sure it's not muggles?

 

Yes. Never, ever, ever "blame the last finder". Muggles find Geocaches. People with accounts who never log online find Geocaches. People take time to log their find (you've seen that). People never sign the paper log. My very last find, I noted the finder before me was most likely a muggle who nicely signed the log on Valentines day, and proclaimed it was their first Geocache find in the paper log. Got home to log it, and nope, no online log entry. Additionally, it was an unknown/mystery cache, which required you to take information off a statue, and navigate to a different waypoint. Highly unlikely a first find newbie would know how to do that. Definitely keep on eye on your cache to make sure it's location hasn't been compromised by neighborhood kids.

 

EDIT: Sorry, hadn't looked. Sounds to me like it's at the base of your mailbox, across the street from your house?

Edited February 28, 2014 by Mr.Yuck

[+Semper Questio]

Yeah, give it at least a couple of week sbefore marking them missing. The trackables may have been grabbed by someone traveling and they won't log for a while yet. Ya just never know.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

 

EDIT: Sorry, hadn't looked. Sounds to me like it's at the base of your mailbox, across the street from your house?

Uh.... yeah.... I had a look at that, too.

Neighborhood street, church (?) real close. I'd be leaning towards muggles. One kid finds it and soon they ALL know where it is!

[+TheHarleyRebel]

I would wait a little bit before marking as missing.

[+BCandMsKitty]

I have a cache Kind of unique like all my others and only a few finds into it the last finder has broken the door right off of the hiding place and took all but one of the trackables that was on Monday. He has yet to log his find or log the trackables into his possession. I have disabled the cache so I can fix it this weekend. he did a poor job of scribbling his name in the log book so it is unreadable, so I have no way of contacting him to remind him to log. How much longer should I wait until I inform the trackable owners of lost, items??

If you decide to mark the trackables as missing, it does nothing to the ability of someone to re-log them. If a cacher is simply late in logging, the TBs will come back alive if and when they do. If it's muggles, then they're marked appropriately as missing.

[+dprovan]

...so I have no way of contacting him to remind him to log.

Just to clarify what others have been saying, you should always assume innocence. (I offer this advice even in other situations where the guilty party is obvious, so it goes double in your case.) What that means is that, if you could tell who signed the log, you contact them to ask if the TBs were there (and if the cache was already broken), not to accuse them of taking the TBs or breaking the cache. If they did take the TBs, that's as good as reminding them, but if they didn't, you avoid accusing them falsely.

 

Now as to your question, the advice you're getting to wait for a delayed log on the TBs is fine, but actually in this case I agree that this sounds more like a muggle ransacking, so while I wouldn't mark them missing yet -- some inquiring muggle parent might yet come to the TBs rescue! -- I would post a note to the TB logs explaining that they aren't in the cache, and you have fears they've been stolen.

[+sasqwatches]

...so I have no way of contacting him to remind him to log.

Just to clarify what others have been saying, you should always assume innocence. (I offer this advice even in other situations where the guilty party is obvious, so it goes double in your case.) What that means is that, if you could tell who signed the log, you contact them to ask if the TBs were there (and if the cache was already broken), not to accuse them of taking the TBs or breaking the cache. If they did take the TBs, that's as good as reminding them, but if they didn't, you avoid accusing them falsely.

 

Now as to your question, the advice you're getting to wait for a delayed log on the TBs is fine, but actually in this case I agree that this sounds more like a muggle ransacking, so while I wouldn't mark them missing yet -- some inquiring muggle parent might yet come to the TBs rescue! -- I would post a note to the TB logs explaining that they aren't in the cache, and you have fears they've been stolen.

 

I know it was the last finder. I checked on it the day before and it was all good the next day my wife said she saw someone walking towards the hide with a gps or fone in their hand retrieve the cache go to his car and return it when he was done. When I got home a few hours later she told me someone found the cache so I went and checked and found what I found. And dont get me wrong Im not mad about the damage I can fix it, Im kind of irritated the guy (yes it was a guy) did not leave a sorry note or sorry next to his signature.

 

I guess I still have hope that people (you know the ones I am talking about) will hold themselves to a higher standard.

Edited February 28, 2014 by sasqwatches

[Clan Riffster]

...so I have no way of contacting him to remind him to log.

Just to clarify what others have been saying, you should always assume innocence. (I offer this advice even in other situations where the guilty party is obvious, so it goes double in your case.) What that means is that, if you could tell who signed the log, you contact them to ask if the TBs were there (and if the cache was already broken), not to accuse them of taking the TBs or breaking the cache. If they did take the TBs, that's as good as reminding them, but if they didn't, you avoid accusing them falsely.

 

Now as to your question, the advice you're getting to wait for a delayed log on the TBs is fine, but actually in this case I agree that this sounds more like a muggle ransacking, so while I wouldn't mark them missing yet -- some inquiring muggle parent might yet come to the TBs rescue! -- I would post a note to the TB logs explaining that they aren't in the cache, and you have fears they've been stolen.

 

I know it was the last finder. I checked on it the day before and it was all good the next day my wife said she saw someone walking towards the hide with a gps or fone in their hand retrieve the cache go to his car and return it when he was done. When I got home a few hours later...

Just to be clear.

You have reasonable evidence that a geocacher found your cache the day after you checked it. Unless there is more to this story, you do not have any evidence that others did not find it after the presumed cacher left. Unless your wife saw him breaking the door and carting off a bajillion TBs, it remains quite possible, given the high profile area, that some neighborhood hooligan saw him going to GZ twice, and investigated.

Hence, the axion of presumption of innocence.

[+Bear and Ragged]

I know it was the last finder. I checked on it the day before and it was all good the next day my wife said she saw someone walking towards the hide with a gps or fone in their hand retrieve the cache go to his car and return it when he was done. When I got home a few hours later she told me someone found the cache so I went and checked and found what I found. And dont get me wrong Im not mad about the damage I can fix it, Im kind of irritated the guy (yes it was a guy) did not leave a sorry note or sorry next to his signature.

 

I guess I still have hope that people (you know the ones I am talking about) will hold themselves to a higher standard.

 

So, your wife sat at the window, from the time she saw someone at the cache, until you got home?

 

Maybe the cache was broken before the person your wife saw was there.

Maybe someone saw him, and looked for themselves, and broke it?

 

Reasonable doubt!

[+dprovan]

I know it was the last finder. I checked on it the day before and it was all good the next day my wife said she saw someone walking towards the hide with a gps or fone in their hand retrieve the cache go to his car and return it when he was done. When I got home a few hours later she told me someone found the cache so I went and checked and found what I found.

Just so I'm also clear, even so, you should talk to him as if you consider him an innocent bystander that you're asking for help. It does no good to blame someone even when they're guilty, yet it hurts a lot if you blame someone that's innocent.

 

And dont get me wrong Im not mad about the damage I can fix it, Im kind of irritated the guy (yes it was a guy) did not leave a sorry note or sorry next to his signature.

I also want to make clear I'm not questioning your feelings towards them, I'm just suggesting how to approach them.

 

I guess I still have hope that people (you know the ones I am talking about) will hold themselves to a higher standard.

Yeah, I'm behind that. I'm not saying jerks cannot be identified and pitied, I'm just suggesting the it does no good to try to pillory them.

[+sasqwatches]

...so I have no way of contacting him to remind him to log.

Just to clarify what others have been saying, you should always assume innocence. (I offer this advice even in other situations where the guilty party is obvious, so it goes double in your case.) What that means is that, if you could tell who signed the log, you contact them to ask if the TBs were there (and if the cache was already broken), not to accuse them of taking the TBs or breaking the cache. If they did take the TBs, that's as good as reminding them, but if they didn't, you avoid accusing them falsely.

 

Now as to your question, the advice you're getting to wait for a delayed log on the TBs is fine, but actually in this case I agree that this sounds more like a muggle ransacking, so while I wouldn't mark them missing yet -- some inquiring muggle parent might yet come to the TBs rescue! -- I would post a note to the TB logs explaining that they aren't in the cache, and you have fears they've been stolen.

 

I know it was the last finder. I checked on it the day before and it was all good the next day my wife said she saw someone walking towards the hide with a gps or fone in their hand retrieve the cache go to his car and return it when he was done. When I got home a few hours later...

Just to be clear.

You have reasonable evidence that a geocacher found your cache the day after you checked it. Unless there is more to this story, you do not have any evidence that others did not find it after the presumed cacher left. Unless your wife saw him breaking the door and carting off a bajillion TBs, it remains quite possible, given the high profile area, that some neighborhood hooligan saw him going to GZ twice, and investigated.

Hence, the axion of presumption of innocence.

High flow area on a dead end street I highly doubt it. We get about 3 people a day walk past the house and even less cars unless my neighbors leave who also know about the cache and like watching the people look for the cache.

[+sasqwatches]

I know it was the last finder. I checked on it the day before and it was all good the next day my wife said she saw someone walking towards the hide with a gps or fone in their hand retrieve the cache go to his car and return it when he was done. When I got home a few hours later she told me someone found the cache so I went and checked and found what I found.

Just so I'm also clear, even so, you should talk to him as if you consider him an innocent bystander that you're asking for help. It does no good to blame someone even when they're guilty, yet it hurts a lot if you blame someone that's innocent.

 

And dont get me wrong Im not mad about the damage I can fix it, Im kind of irritated the guy (yes it was a guy) did not leave a sorry note or sorry next to his signature.

I also want to make clear I'm not questioning your feelings towards them, I'm just suggesting how to approach them.

 

I guess I still have hope that people (you know the ones I am talking about) will hold themselves to a higher standard.

Yeah, I'm behind that. I'm not saying jerks cannot be identified and pitied, I'm just suggesting the it does no good to try to pillory them.

I get what you are saying I have no and never had intentions on finding, confronting him over the damage I just would like to remind him to log the trackables. I made it clear in my OP.