Investigating a real case of theft

[SLarratt]

Good day all.

I have recently be appointed as a risk manager where I work. Yesterday, a colleague had money taken from her purse. This thief has struck in the past, however I was not in a position to address it. I am now and I hate parasite thieves.

I have asked for a statement from her, regarding the time frame from when last seen to noticed missing. 

The next step is to bring down the suspect list from 40...all the staff at work that day. Everybody that was off that day, including myself, are eliminated from the list.

Do any of you have ideas for me? I want bring the thief to book.

 

Moderator Comment:

While this thread technically breaks the "pre-1930-only" rule, it was created before that rule was created, and far more importantly, it does not violate the spirit of that rule.  It's clearly not a high-profile media case (apparently not even reported to the police), the crimes are very minor, the company is not identified, and all victims and suspects are given pseudonyms.  Therefore even though the limited number of people who were there might recognize the situation, it sees unlikely that it would cause any embarrassment or emotional pain.

 

[T.o.b.y]

Ooh, a real crime to solve? 

Was the purse in a place that everyone has access to when the money went missing or could you narrow down the suspects by checking who has keys / can enter the room or other area? 

[SLarratt]

The area is open to all staff, it is the canteen. Her bag there. I will eliminate suspects when I ask the managers about which staff left early or didn't pitch. That may eliminate a few at least...

The store manager informed me that objects from his office have also been taken. Opportunistic perp I think.

It just dawned on me that we use a third party cleaning service. Which means my sus list just grew by three. We always use the same cleaners. I'll begin eliminating suspects when I get back into the store tomorrow.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Was the purse with the victim the entire time, or did she leave it unattended (e.g., to use the restroom)?

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

On 11/30/2022 at 9:33 PM, SLarratt said:

The area is open to all staff, it is the canteen. Her bag there. I will eliminate suspects when I ask the managers about which staff left early or didn't pitch. That may eliminate a few at least...

The store manager informed me that objects from his office have also been taken. Opportunistic perp I think.

It just dawned on me that we use a third party cleaning service. Which means my sus list just grew by three. We always use the same cleaners. I'll begin eliminating suspects when I get back into the store tomorrow.

Do you have a John Watson to assist you?

And a long coat, that one is important.

Let us know who is the culprit.

[Carol the Dabbler]

23 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

Let us know who is the culprit.

I'm hoping that @SLarratt comes back soon with more information.  Of course it's possible that the culprit will never be found, but we can still conjecture!

 

 

[SLarratt]

10 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

I'm hoping that @SLarratt comes back soon with more information.  Of course it's possible that the culprit will never be found, but we can still conjecture!

 

 

Hey all. It has been a busy week.

I now understand why they say some theft cases are hard to solve. 

The bag is kept in a shared locker. Locker lock is faulty. I will call the to ladies Jessica and Sarah. Jessica being the victim. 

Sarah left at 5pm when her shift ended. She informed me that Jessica's bag may or may not been left on a counter at the time. Due to the working environment, it is possible that one forgets ones bag on the counter because of being called away. 

Jessica tells me that the money disappeared between 5-6pm and since her bag is distinct. Only her 'friends' would be suspect, as men would set off red flags as we rarely go into a woman's for anything, even if asked to go into it. 

So I'm at this stage:

I've eliminated more than half the suspect pool from 40 down to 12. The senior management staff can be eliminated because they wouldn't risk it all for cab fare. Risk outweighs reward greatly.

🤔

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Thanks for the update!

Sounds like you've still got a bit of a stumper:  Twelve suspects, and stolen goods that can't be distinguished from what anybody might have in their purse or pocket.

So the thief either opened Jessica's locker, removed the money from her bag, and closed the locker -OR- noticed the bag sitting on the counter and removed the money.  The latter sounds far more plausible, but of course that doesn't actually eliminate the former -- not that it would be all that helpful to know.

1 hour ago, SLarratt said:

Only her 'friends' would be suspect, as men would set off red flags as we rarely go into a woman's for anything, even if asked to go into it. 

1 hour ago, SLarratt said:

The senior management staff can be eliminated because they wouldn't risk it all for cab fare. Risk outweighs reward greatly.

You may be overlooking a couple of possibilities:  Anyone, even a man or a manager, could be a kleptomaniac (and as I understand it, a klepto will steal just about anything -- expensive or worthless -- if given the opportunity).  If there are more thefts, you might concentrate your efforts on recently hired people.  Also, some people nowadays seem to feel entitled to whatever they can get their hands on.

Or the thief may have thought (or hoped) to find a larger sum of money (or something else of value) in the bag.  You might ask Jessica if she said or did anything that could make people think she had something valuable in her bag.  If so, then again you couldn't necessarily rule out the men or the managers.  (Not much help, am I?)

I suspect you're right, though -- one of the other women saw Jessica's bag on the counter and took the opportunity (when no one else was around) to snitch her money.  Possibly it wasn't even about the money, maybe she had a grudge against Jessica.

 

[SLarratt]

🤔

The kleptomaniac angle is plausible yes. Though, specific items are stolen over a long period. As the new risk manager, I openly investigating these occurrences because I hate parasites.

Nothing significant value is stolen, they careful not to attract the corporate brass...

It's petty theft in the eyes of the law. The items are as follows:

Food from a takeaway place.

Chocolate and sweets from stock.

Uniform clothing.

Money: notes only for the moment.

Cellphone/netbook chargers. All types.

Mugs, bowls, teaspoons and plates.

 

This has occurred throughout the year and before. I am just now in the position to try solve this behavior and remove the parasite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SLarratt]

The grudge aspect is also a great idea. The psychological aspect of any case is something to always consider.

I'm even looking at fingerprinting the staff if something occurs while I'm there. I figure, once the printing etc gets introduced, there may be a resignation with immediate effect happening...

I really want the parasite to made hella uncomfortable.

[Carol the Dabbler]

9 hours ago, SLarratt said:

Food from a takeaway place.
Chocolate and sweets from stock.
Uniform clothing.
Money: notes only for the moment.
Cellphone/netbook chargers. All types.
Mugs, bowls, teaspoons and plates.

Most of those could have been a matter of fairly-honest convenience.  For example, the uniform clothing could be a matter of not taking time to change back into their own clothes at the end of the day, and then forgetting to take the uniform back to work -- unless the missing items were supposed to be worn by one specific person, and that person has reported them missing.

Were the dishes company property, or does everyone bring their own from home?  And the chargers?

The money is clearly theft, and I think most people would say that taking someone else's lunch (the takeaway food) is also a pretty rotten thing to do.  Other than that, how many of the missing items might have been merely borrowed and then forgotten?  Or taken a little at a time (e.g., the chocolate) by more than one person?  Depending on the answer, you may or may not have one overall thief -- it could be mostly just a lot of borrowing.

 

[SLarratt]

The chargers and dishes are their own. No borrowing, they disappear and never seen again. Sometimes parts of a charger are stolen. The head one day. A cable another...

The uniform thing is just extra uniform that has not been assigned yet.

The food and money is clear theft to me. 

The chocolate and sweets is taken from the stock and consumed. Empty wrappers found.

More than one thief is a possibility of course.

If I can punch the ticket of one then perhaps the theft would stop entirely.

[Carol the Dabbler]

On 12/8/2022 at 3:23 AM, SLarratt said:

More than one thief is a possibility of course.

If I can punch the ticket of one then perhaps the theft would stop entirely.

Yes, that might work, regardless of how many people have been involved.

I have no idea how this has been handled in the past, but when a charger or dish is missing, maybe putting up a fairly mild notice (such as "Whoever borrowed Janet's soup bowl -- please bring it back") would allow the "borrower" to return the item while feeling only mild embarrassment (as opposed to being accused of theft, and therefore reluctant to admit having taken it).

On 12/8/2022 at 3:23 AM, SLarratt said:

The uniform thing is just extra uniform that has not been assigned yet.

Well, that rules out the "didn't bother to change clothes at end of shift" explanation.  Are the uniforms the sort of garments that would be comfortable for casual wear?

On 12/8/2022 at 3:23 AM, SLarratt said:

The chocolate and sweets is taken from the stock and consumed. Empty wrappers found.

So your company sells candy?  My mother's first job was in the salesroom of a candy shop.  She told me that whenever the proprietor hired a new sales clerk, she would tell her to help herself to the chocolates, as many as she wanted.  So the first day or two the new gal would be pigging out -- but then she'd be so sick of it that she'd hardly touch it again.  Not sure that approach would work for you, though -- different situation, different era.

Sorry for the delay] @SLarratt -- real life interfered!

 

[SLarratt]

It's okay. Life happens. I once had a dm conversation that lasted 3 years...he is a mountain guide for Mt. Everest.

Anyway...

If we let the staff pig out on sweets...we would have nothing left in one day...I do see the wisdom though. It just wouldn't work.

When uniform disappears it is just easier to wear another uniform than to wash your existing one. It isn't fashionable to wear outside the workplace like brands like Adidas or Nike would be. Just plane theft.

Lastly, the chargers and crockery and cutlery...they gone. They don't mysteriously return either.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

7 hours ago, SLarratt said:

When uniform disappears it is just easier to wear another uniform than to wash your existing one.

So employees are responsible for washing their own uniforms?  When I had a "uniform" job, at the end of the shift, we would either hang up our uniform to wear again or put it in the laundry bin.  Maybe it's a trade-off -- the company either pays for laundry service or eats the cost of disappearing uniforms?  I guess the answer depends on how many uniforms are disappearing.

 

[SLarratt]

1 hour ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

So employees are responsible for washing their own uniforms?  When I had a "uniform" job, at the end of the shift, we would either hang up our uniform to wear again or put it in the laundry bin.  Maybe it's a trade-off -- the company either pays for laundry service or eats the cost of disappearing uniforms?  I guess the answer depends on how many uniforms are disappearing.

 

Yes as it is a uniform shirt with the company logo on it. 

I hate the fact that I have to wait for another instance to have more to go on. I'd hate to know what and law enforcement officer feels when in this situation while looking for a serial killer or rapest.

[Carol the Dabbler]

1 hour ago, SLarratt said:

I hate the fact that I have to wait for another instance to have more to go on.

I take it this has happened several times, but no details were recorded?

 

[SLarratt]

9 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

I take it this has happened several times, but no details were recorded?

 

Sadly no. Nobody investigated until myself. There's very little to go on to begin with. 

[Carol the Dabbler]

18 hours ago, SLarratt said:

Nobody investigated until myself.

Are there at least records that show each time a uniform went missing (even if you'd have to do some digging to find all the instances)?

[SLarratt]

Update:

Well I knew it would be a matter if time. The thief struck again. This time they took a set of EarPods from Theresa. Earpods being cordless earphones that fit inside your ear.

They were stolen from the desk in the Admin office.

Suspect list shrinks to 8.

The plot does thicken though. There is a guy that works there, I'll call him Paul. Now Paul caught a woman going through his bag. I'll call her Natalie. After a small exchange, they left it as is. Paul did inform another manager regarding the incident.

The problem is: Paul doesn't want to submit a statement. It is clear that he doesn't want any conflict. I'm sure he is thinking of her being unemployed during Christmas etc. He has a big heart.

I need his statement though. Natalie is on the suspect list.

I have appealed to him with hopes he will come around. I'm only back at work on Friday.

This is what I sent him, in his own mannerism of speaking...names changed:

"Hey Paul, I need you bra.

I heard that you caught someone digging in your bag. Please can I get a statement from you?

They stole from Theresa yesterday. We need to get this thief out. Please bra.

Regards
SLarratt"

 

With his statement, I could move forward a lot faster. I will need to gather enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. When I bring the hammer down, it must be absolute.

So yeah. Natalie is the main suspect and I am either waiting on another incident or I get a statement...

🤔

I just can't force or coerce a statement. That would witness tampering...

[Carol the Dabbler]

If Paul still isn't willing to sign anything, maybe he'd at least be willing to tell you privately who it was, with the understanding that it wouldn't be used unless/until there was a further incident involving the same person -- at which point Paul's eyewitness account could be used as the "beyond reasonable doubt" confirmation of the thief's identity.  And if there are no further incidents (possibly because he decided to warn the culprit), then Paul's statement wouldn't be needed anyhow.

 

[SLarratt]

Paul states that the person going that was handling his bag wasn't at the location on the day the Earpods were stolen. He says it could have been a mistaken identity of bag, as she was sent by someone else to get something from her bag. 🤔

Possible.

Nothing has happened since...

[Carol the Dabbler]

24 minutes ago, SLarratt said:

Paul states that the person going that was handling his bag wasn't at the location on the day the Earpods were stolen. He says it could have been a mistaken identity of bag, as she was sent by someone else to get something from her bag.

Do the bags bear a plausible resemblance and/or do Paul and the other person keep their bags in the same general vicinity (e.g., do they share a locker or have adjoining desks)?

 

[SLarratt]

Final Update. (maybe)

Natalie and her friend and colleague Alison, both coming from the same neighborhood, where often absent from work whenever and this irritated the brass enough to terminate their employ.

Since their termination, nothing has disappeared. This can be measured by the lack of constant loss of food eg: ice creams, sweets etc...

Natalie was seen by other staff with the shakes, like withdrawal symptoms addicts have.

 

Is my thief or thieves out or lying low...🤔

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

2 hours ago, SLarratt said:

Since their termination, nothing has disappeared.

Interesting.

2 hours ago, SLarratt said:

Is my thief or thieves out or lying low...🤔

Barring any current evidence to the contrary, I'd guess that your truants were also your thieves.  Unless there's future evidence to the contrary, of course.

But what is your current take on this:

On 12/22/2022 at 3:43 PM, SLarratt said:

Paul states that the person going that was handling his bag wasn't at the location on the day the Earpods were stolen.

Paul also said (off the record) that the "bag handler" was Natalie, right?  So how do you account for the missing earpods?

Personally I'd be willing to assume that either a] Paul was mistaken about that, or else b] the earpods were misplaced rather than stolen.  Oh, wait minute -- or that c] the earpods were taken by the friend, rather than by Natalie herself.

In any event, thanks for letting us know the outcome of your investigation, @SLarratt -- and if any new mysteries should arise in the future, please let us know.

Meanwhile, we'll hope to see you around the forum!