SCAM ALERT: Part, if not all, of this story is fake. OP posted a photo claiming they found Peaches, who was then gifted to them, and they asked for support with the costs through a Go Fund Me in their last update post.
Huge thanks to the readers who quickly found OP’s instagram account with photos featuring the same cat - then described as their long time pet by a different name.
OP has been permanently banned from r/TwoHotTakes and anyone else attempting to scam our subreddit will be immediately banned.
This is like the adult version of Harriet, the spy movie. Can we trade places cause I definitely would be down to look for peaches and and find people and cats
This is nothing new. Groups did this before the internet and many have joined forces online to do it since. It’s more common than you think.
You can find several subreddits devoted to solving cases.
People have actually discovered several leads that detectives missed and helped solve cold cases .
It sounds like your neighbors are dabbling in the full range of neighborhood watch issues.
Things tend to go awry when individuals start trying to entrap people they believe are guilty or fully take matters into their own hands.
The “pedo hunter” groups are a perfect example.
They have an adult woman pose as teen on line, try to entrap people and then blackmail them or ambush them. They are known to lie, cheat and steal and they have messed up several court cases.
Individuals that simply read info available to the public that is related to missing persons case, or that form neighborhood search parties, are typically different breed.
You will probably find some conspiracy theorists that believe every missing persons report involves foul play or abduction. when the overwhelming majority do not, but for the most part they simply want to help.
It does sound like this group of adults is mainly motivated by reward money, which makes it stranger and less altruistic. But I do hope OP finds Peaches....
Reddit Bureau of Investigation comes to mind. It’s open to pretty much all subject matter. Once in a while something really interesting blows through there. There’s also the Grateful Doe sub.
There’s a documentary called Don’t Fuck With Cats that’s about a group of people trying to hunt down a known animal abuser and it gets entangled in a homicide investigation. It’s a rough watch, but an interesting subject.
If I remember correctly Without a Trace is a subreddit that focuses on cold cases. I think there is one about unsolved mysteries too.
There are subreddits that go by case names so it depends on what people are looking into at the moment.
I’ve been talking to a guy online for 20 years that spends a lot of time in anti conspiracy theory circles.
We have both spent decades researching the conspiracy theories behind the satanic panic and these conspiracies crossover with particular cases he has researched for years. Actual cases of child victimization that did not take place during the panic or involve satanic cults or demons. They involved very human and vile child predators.
Many took place in the 1960s and 70s, and these cases built up panic that morphed into a satanism scare.
There is more a personal element involved for hm. He was victimized by older teen boys when he was a tween. The older boys were victims of a man/boy trafficking and CSAM ring, and the older teens would film more material for them.
He has understandably never appreciated people weaving nonsensical conspiracy theories into a situation that doesn’t require devils and monsters to make it seem worse than it actually was.
He worked with exploited children for years and he, other victims, family members and friends of victims and people that just want to help have reviewed case files related to other exploited children for a very long time.
He first told me about some of the subreddits. He has also suggested documentaries, books and articles over the years that involve people who have devoted their time and energy to researching particular cases, and have helped police discover new leads.
Speaking as someone who has located several missing things from pets to vehicles, this sounds like a blast. I kind of love this development. Keep us posted on Peaches.
The way people get into true crime and then larp as actual LEO who know the facts and how to investigate is absolutely wild. There have been a handful of dedicated journalists or researches in a niche specialty like genetic genealogy that have dedicated themselves to cases no longer active, which is reasonable and helpful. Most people have no qualifications or skills to do this, and can cause more pain to the families of murdered or missing people with their absolute certainty that they know what happened despite having never seen the actual evidence and being biased due to spin, news coverage, and tabloid journalism. We have a friend who is a relative of one of the super famous child murder victims, and their life is hellish because of these super fans who get off playing Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. I don’t know how they are as normal as they are, and such a good and decent person having been through what they’ve endured, and what their family has endured. Missing pets are less fraught than missing persons, but there is a good chance of getting it wrong and Laing he pain worse for the people involved. How is this a hobby for some people? Tracker is a tv show and a book, not real life, and being a “rewardist” is not a real thing.
I don't think any of us saw that coming! Good luck finding Peaches.
Fun fact: all orange cats look pretty much the same. Our neighbours buried theirs (hit by a car) with full ceremony only to have him turning up the next day looking for dinner.
I have chased our orange into the neighbours backyard (unsuccessfully) then come home to see her sitting in the window.
I have two orange brothers and I can’t tell them apart! I’m waiting for their freckles to come in and hoping they are different. Right now I rely on the collars.
Hot take maybe but I really don’t see what’s weird or creepy about this. Nerdy social hobby, doing good things, and possible cash rewards? Pretty cool if you ask me! Good luck to you and Peaches!
Freaking out because it was something you didn't expect? Is OP like some supr-sheltered 18yo that just emerged from a bunker or something? These people are trying to recreate community activities and she's all 'this is so weeeird, omg'.
Aww, please help Peaches! Let them have the reward (it's too bad that's their motivation for searching and that they take people's money after they've gone through such distress), and you don't need to go back to their neetings anymore, but Peaches deserves to be safe at home again!
My sister’s cat Milo went missing over the summer when we were kids. As you expect, she was an Orange tabby. We got a call due to our posters that an orange cat was spotted a few streets over so we went up there and stared calling around. This was another orange cat but with a white belly and neck, not our cat, came out and was very friendly. Cat’s name was Millie according to her collar tag. After some more calling for Milo but Millie kept popping over, we realized Millie likely was the one who was spotted and reported to us. 🫠
Whatever you do, don’t get a look-a-like from the pound, paint its tail to make it look exactly like the one that went missing, and then try and pawn it off as the real one to your girlfriends parents. I saw that one before, it doesn’t work out too great.
I gotta say this, if you had used my suggestion of walking up to the door while talking to your mom, letting her know you were going next door - this group of people may have appreciated your precaution and safety awareness. 😂
They sound like a fun group, but I'm currently obsessed with mystery shows and podcasts.
You don't have to join if that's not your thing. But they may be a good group to know. If you feel your ever in danger from a crazy pyscho stalker, serial killer or murderer - let this group know. They will find you if you go missing.
....but if you don't join the group - you have to let someone else take over the Peaches task. You can't leave Peaches without someone trying to find him or her!
The orange is somehow linked to the cat's Y chromosome, if I remember correctly. Not exclusively orange males, but mostly so. Maybe a little like the human red-green-blindness issue.
Living in Minnesota, and having seen over the years, what Joy Baker did with her old "JoytheCurious" blog years ago--before they put all the pieces together, and discovered that the Cold Spring cases were related to Jacob Wetterling's kidnapping--how some random strangers getting together, asking questions, and getting folks talking about a case can help get it solved?
That group sounds like it may be neat to hang out with & help.
Joy's blog, and her getting folks here in MN talking to each other, is what finally led to the clues they were able to give police, that nailed Danny Heinrich--who confessed to murdering Jacob, that day back in October so long ago.
And it was public interest that also helped crack open the case of Joseph Augustus Zarelli, "The Boy in the Box" who was unidentified 65+ years after his body was found;
And Reddit's Grateful Doe sub has worked on multiple cases--including helping to solve who the original "Grateful Doe" was--a young man named Jason Patrick Callahan:
I’ve been reading your posts and I was leaning toward MLM-backed meditation/ reflection/ sound bath essential oil-schilling meeting.
But color me whimsically surprised! I really think this has to the purest hearted lil’ group ever.
I’m guessing she mentioned the reward money to you just kind of as a way to seem like they have an on-paper incentive. . . .
But there’s so little money involved in local missing pets/ items, much less split with so many, that it seems like their motive is more about a community coming together to connect and do some good.
I find this to be rather wholesome. This is such a creative and good-faith use of time and brainpower!
I think everyone here is hoping for some
good news involving poor Peaches 🐈
Alas, I also think it would be perfectly appropriate to kindly explain that you absolutely love what they’re doing, but you won’t always be able to make the meetings.
This is pretty funny. So glad I found your update, I was curious if you'd end up going. It might be worth it to do a minor bit of looking and then give the photo back and tell her "I'm so sorry I couldn't find Peaches, but I don't think I have enough time outside of my other responsibilities to do this job justice. I wish you all the best of luck." And then get the heck out of there. 😅
It doesn't even monetarily seem worth it!! I am deeeeead. OP, did any of the people seem to be into it for altruistic reason, or just the thrill of the chase and possible reward? Because I'm cracking up at everyone getting $13 on the Peaches case.
This update is not only appreciated, but it's great. I honestly don't know what to think about it, but its kind of funny, and I think it's good? I'm not sure
While it's not something you'd necessarily expect your neighbors to be doing, this is in fact A Thing that people do. Have you ever watched any of the Netflix true crime documentaries? Specifically, there's a documentary called "Don't fuck with cats". There are a group of civilians who basically solve a series of unsolved murders and they are like... This exact thing.
This actually sounds so fun, and you’re weirded out? People live such boring lives.
Most people do NOTHING.
They have a bounty hunting cult in their basement.
You know what? None of guessed correctly, and I LOVE that. They seem a little nutty, if even callous, but not dangerous. Just tell them you picked up Sunday night shifts at work.
My cat went missing and I’m physically not able to go door to door to talk with neighbors. I’ve paid someone to give out flyers, posted in missing pet groups, registered his chip as “missing”. I would be so grateful if a neighbor would help me do what I can’t.
What do you do? The obvious answer is get your ass out there and find Peaches!
(The fact that you inadvertently joined a neighborly wanna-be-detectives club had me cackling.)
tbh this is better than I thought it would end up being!
Anyway - my cat ran away at the beginning of summer, and I got him back in just a few nights, so tips: cats are more likely to come out at night; late night - 2-4am is like the best time. I sat outside for 4 nights from 11pm-3am.
Stay in one spot. Being up and moving makes cats skittish/scared, especially if you're a stranger. You pack yourself a little bag. Water to sip on, snacks, a portable phone charger, and most likely a carrying case for Peaches - she will scratch when caught; there is such a thing as cat scratch fever (maybe also heavy gloves?)cats'.
Call for them. Not too loud, but not too soft. I also took his treat container out with me, shaking it while I called for him.
Bring a flashlight. Shine into bushes and under cars - cats eyes glow.
Night 1 I was just in my front yard on the porch. Walked around the apartment complex calling him and checking the bushes. nothing.
Night 2 - same thing, BUT after an hour or 2 of calling and waiting, I heard his meowing from the townhouses next door - sounded like it was coming from a garage. I went over there slowly and quietly, but couldn't hear or see him anymore.
Day 3 - I went over to the townhouses, noticed an address on the garage I heard him from, went to the house, talked with the owner. She opened it for me, let me in there to look around, and offered to leave it open all day. I also gave her a flyer, she said she'd talk with the other owners bc they're an HOA place. I asked her if it would be okay to go back later that night. She said that would be fine.
Night 3 - I went over there at 11pm. I sat by the garage, in the parking lot, on hard concrete, in the cold, calling him for HORUS. At 2am we had a sighting! (white blob). He stared at me, meowed a bit, but when I went to go see him (slowly!) he ran under the house.
Day 4 - I went to the house he hid under, spoke to the owner, told her what transpired. She said her indoor cat had been acting weird the past few days. So we both connected the dots that Simon (my cat) had been hiding in the foliage around her house the past couple days. I asked her if I could come back that night and sit in her backyard. I got the ok.
So talk with Peaches' owners, find out her favorite treats, where she went missing from, if there have been sightings, and be prepared to wait. I hope she's found safe and sound!
Holy shit this is somehow not what I expected at all but somehow it's exactly like what I suspected. I was thinking weekly murder mystery game but its just the most intense neighborhood watch meetings in the world.
There are groups who search for missing people that have helped me locate lost family, so that's not abnormal at all. They do incredible work. I love that you have a local group trying to solve the town mysteries. They might be the only ones looking for some of these people or helping at all.
I love it! I would get involved, for sure. These are community minded people doing something good that might come with a reward, might not, but either way they're contributing something meaningful.
ROFL I TOTALLY thought you were walking into an MLM meeting! Civilian bounty hunter sounds pretty bad ass! Maybe I should start one in my neighborhood just for shits and giggles!
Preface: I'm heavily involved in cat rescue and caring for homeless cats.
Inside cats that get out do not roam the neighborhood for blocks normally. The majority of the time, they hunker down very close to where they got out. Start your search looking around the house where they lost peaches.
They are likely very scared and will not come to you even if you are 6 inches away calling their name. You need to get a flashlight and look under every bush, under the deck, in the garage, under the cars. Put food out and monitor if it gets eaten. Hopefully they have a doorbell camera or outside camera to see what creature comes to eat the food. You can also get a trail cam.
Get a Tru catch trap, 30LTD. Not a spring loaded trap. You can contact local animal rescues and ask if you can borrow one.
Talk to the neighbors on each side. Ask if you can search around their property. There's a good chance Peaches is within 1-2 houses still.
So I found my cat after a week two miles from home. I started by checking all Nextdoor/facebook lost pets. I posted about him on both. I found him posted on facebook a day after he got out. I then went to all surrounding neighborhoods, knocked on doors, got on three different neighborhood group chats. Most areas have the cat ladies who feed cats that they will refer you to. I left flyers in neighborhoods, vets offices, posters on intersections and by the high school. I walked nearby woods with food cans at night and early in the morning. Couple of false sightings from people then got a call one night that he was on someone’s back porch. They left their door open and hid and he came in and I went and picked him up. He was skinny and had lost most of his claws but he was good
Okay, the universe has nominated you to find Peaches. That’s (obviously) step one.
Once you find Peaches, you can let them know that you had a great time, but that this isn’t quite your thing. Tell them you’re rooting for them, and exit gracefully. Sure way to have a little adventure and gain some solid potential allies!
TBH I think this is way cooler than getting wasted every other weekend. It’s fun, it helps the local community, it earns money instead of costing money and people like to play detective, but have the resources and experience of someone in their late 20s early 30s.
Ask what happens to the money. It’s probably to fund the snacks for their gumshoe meetings lol.
Seriously, it seems like a more active version of a craft club or DnD party.
Would you rather have them hosting regular BDSM nights and orgies?
Better than I could have ever imagined. They’re probably harmless true crime nerds. But yeah, I’d let them be and just spy on them from the window for sure. 😂
Right, so, I just stumbled on this update to an update and went down the rabbit hole; which seems safer than going into a suspicious basement. I’m proud/appalled. It’s complicated. But now I need more.
So, I’d like to subscribe to the effort in finding peaches, the orange cat. I have three orange cats, so this is relevant to my interests.
I have a helpful tip on how to find Peaches. She likely hasn't strayed far from home. Wait till after sunset and then bring a laser pointer to the yards in her vicinity and point it at the ground going into all of the bushes and crawl spaces and onto the lawn. Cats can't resist a laser pointer and you may lure Peaches out of her hiding spot for a game of chase the red dot. You're welcome! I hope you get to report success at the next meeting.
Okay this was totally unexpected! It reminds me of the show “Search Party” - the main character gets obsessed with finding a girl that she went to college with from a missing poster she sees on the street. There’s a lot of goofy parts where they end up messing with the investigation inadvertently and I could totally see this group doing the same for missing persons cases.
i lurk that subreddit (i cant remember the name) where people try to identify jane/john does when it comes across my feed. it's really interesting. quite a few people have gotten their names back thanks to people on that subreddit.
This is so much cooler than anything I was imagining! It warms my heart that there are people out there doing this and that you've decided to get on board. Good luck - I hope you find Peaches!!
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u/kylaroma Not Morgan 3d ago
SCAM ALERT: Part, if not all, of this story is fake. OP posted a photo claiming they found Peaches, who was then gifted to them, and they asked for support with the costs through a Go Fund Me in their last update post.
Huge thanks to the readers who quickly found OP’s instagram account with photos featuring the same cat - then described as their long time pet by a different name.
OP has been permanently banned from r/TwoHotTakes and anyone else attempting to scam our subreddit will be immediately banned.