Following this breadcrumb trail may have led to a saved life.
A tenant shared a personal cautionary tale on social networking website Reddit after discovering mysterious notes around their house from an unknown source.
“On the 15th of April I found a yellow Post-it note in a handwriting that wasn’t mine on my desk reminding me of some errands I had to do, but told literally nobody about,” wrote @RBradbury1920 in a resurfaced post on the subReddit r/LegalAdvice.
The Reddit user initially speculated that a stalker or scouting burglar was playing a prank, but they threw the notes away and tried to forget about the creepy occurrence — until it happened again days later.
“I was freaked out, but there were no other signs of a break-in,” they claimed.
This prompted @RBradbury1920 to decide to set up home security cameras, particularly after finding a suspicious message that read: “Our landlord isn’t letting me talk to you, but it’s important we do.”
Webcam footage turned up no evidence of intruders, only @RBradbury1920 going about their daily business.
That’s when they turned to Reddit, asking fellow users in the post, “Would contacting the police get me into any trouble, if they can’t determine an outside source for this? I just want to make sure I’m not wasting anyone’s time. Should I consult my landlord? Those also living in the complex?”
Readers took to the comments section to help @RBradury1920 crack the case of the phantom Post-its.
Some wondered whether their landlord was entering the unit without their knowledge — but the notes “don’t make any sense in the context,” one user noted.
“It’s likely that you are writing the notes yourself, but you are forgetting,” they added.
The revelatory comments were enough to convince @RBradbury1920 to turn the magnifying glass on theirself, as described in the shocking conclusion of their horrifying whodunit.
“Thanks to everyone who sent suggestions and gave advice on how to proceeded – especially to those who recommended a CO [carbon monoxide] detector … because when I plugged one in in the bedroom, it read at 100ppm.”
“I had CO poisoning and thought my landlord was stalking me,” they wrote.
Reddit may have saved this tenant’s life as low-level exposure to CO over time can cause neurological damage. Signs of CO poisoning at low levels include headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and — as @RBradbury1920 exhibited — brain fog, impaired memory and confusion.
Acute exposure to high levels of CO can result in permanent brain damage and death.