Community Chat

[Icegoddess]

For those who saw my comments about my missing neighbor on another post I thought I would start my own post about it.

Background:  My next door neighbors have not been seen since the end of July.  It appeared to me they planne to leave since they moved their cars up close to the house the way they normally do when they leave for a trip, and it also appeared they had stopped their mail since I never saw the mail truck stop there (although I don't always see the mail truck when it comes).  Also, it appeared recently that the power had been cut off to the house.

Update:  According to the utility company, the red tag on the meter indicates it has been disconnected due to non-payment for 60 days.  The colors vary depending on the utility company, so you can't be sure that's what a red tag would mean on meters in your area.

One of my other neighbors spoke with the mail person today who told her the mail had been held since late July.  Not forwarded.  They put a hold on it for a month and then someone (don't know if it was them or someone acting on their behalf) extended it for another month.  That ended today and nobody extended it, so she did deliver mail and a couple of packages.  She said if the packages are still there tomorrow she will have to take them back to the mail center.

So, we're waiting with bated breath to see if they return tomorrow.  Maybe this was all planned and the electric bill somehow slipped through the cracks.  Or possibly it was a medical thing that lasted longer than they expected.  I know he looked really skinny back in the spring, but he had been working in the yard all summer right up to when they disappeared.  Either way, I sure hope they cleaned out the refrigerator or their homecoming will be quite an unhappy one.  Temps here have been in the high 80's and low to mid 90's since the power was disconnected.  I have my security camera pointed at the property, mainly the driveway, but it's too far away to set off the motion detector.

EDITED TO SAY:  I CAN'T FIND THE BEST ANSWER BUTTON, BUT THE ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED AND THE RESOLUTION IS ON PAGE 8.

[bonnielu]

Hope all will be well and they will  return safely

[haddon9]

I hope everything is okay. 

Is it possible that they went away for a few months to another area like the mountains?...like snowbirds leave for the winter?  It does seem odd because when any of my neighbors leave for a vacation we let each other know just to keep an eye on things.

[Icegoddess]

It's possible.  Surely they didn't let the utilities lapse on purpose for a vacation though.  That was what was really throwing us.  I have another neighbor who, when his wife was still living, would take a yearly cruise that lasted a month, but they had one of the neighbors come by the house daily to feed the animals. 

The problem is, these people aren't neighborly.  I'm not saying they're ugly or anything.  When they moved in, he introduced himself to me (only because he had to walk past me to get to his car) by saying "Hello, I'm Mr. XXX.  We like to keep to ourselves."  End of conversation.  My husband thought I was being overly dramatic until he tried to strike up a conversation with him.  His wife was a bit nicer, at least saying hello, and he had warmed up in the last few months saying hello when seeing me working in the yard or going out to get mail.  But, I wouldn't expect him to tell anyboy I know in the neighborhood that they were going anywhere.

[hayseed00]

I would also be wondering about them especially with the electric being shut off, that seems really odd.  Keep us posted

[Sweetbay magnolia]

You just never know.

We had some neighbors abandon their home in the middle of the night.  It sat empty with no power for months in the winter, and since we were attached units, I was seriously afraid of pipes bursting.

[Icegoddess]

@Sweetbay magnolia, you would think that you would know things were getting bad for awhile before walking away.   In that case I wouldn't expect them to spend so much time and physical effort on the yard.  Plus, that little sports car they left in the driveway might not pay the mortgage, but it's worth enough I'd be surprised they would leave it behind even if they walked away from the house.

[occasionalrain]

That is odd because electric bills can be put on an auto pay either from your bank or charged to a credit card. Did they have visitors who might report them missing when they were unable to contact them?

[AuntG]

That certainly seems strange. I'd wonder what was going on if they were my neighbors. 

[Icegoddess]

@occasionalrain, the only thing I can come up with is maybe the power bill was forgotten.  If they had their mail held, they wouldn't get the notices.  The only people I ever saw at the house after they left was the utility company.  They didn't seem to get visitors.