Mystery Stashes of Money Found Hidden in Public Restrooms in Ohio, What Would You Do if You Found $20K in a Bathroom Stall?
MARYSVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) – There’s a money mystery in Marysville after tens of thousands of dollars have been found around the city.
The money was found in a couple publicly accessible bathrooms, according to the Marysville Police Division (MPD). Capt. Nate Sachs said more than $20,000 was found in a bathroom at the Avalon Theater last weekend. Then on Thursday night, more than $10,000 was found in a bathroom at the Kentucky Fried Chicken on Delaware Avenue.
“They were hidden in a way that you would have to know where to look to find them. Wasn’t like you walk in and they were behind a trash can or anything like that. It was hidden,” Sachs said.
My gut instinct is always to shame the "idiots" who stumble upon large sums of money in public and promptly turn their found treasure into the authorities instead of taking it for themselves. "It's free money you moron! Just take the bag and get your ass out of the theatre. The second half of Kung Fu Panda 4 is not important."
On the other hand, I've never found myself in that situation. I'm sure having the balls to take all the money for yourself is easier said than done. You know someone is coming for that $20k. Someone out there needs that money, they are almost certainly more desperate for it than you, and they are 100% on the wrong side of the law. Non-shady characters don't incorporate movie theatre bathrooms, or Kentucky Fried Chicken's into their business dealings. They typically prefer banks. When you stumble upon money like that, you have to assume whoever it's intended for is not far behind. They're probably watching the whole situation play out from down the hall. They could be in the bathroom with you. Taking a found $20k opens up the door to a world of possibilities. Some good, some bad. But $20k isn't going to drastically change your life. Taking $20k that was meant for someone else might. Take one satchel full of money that doesn't belong to you and next thing Anton Chigurh is coming for your ass with his deadly air compressor cow killing device.
However, turning found money into the cops is the absolute last thing I would do. If I'm not taking the risk of keeping the money for myself, I'm surely not risking being outed as the guy who turned it in to the police. The last thing I need is for whoever's coming for that money to find out I'm the one who handed it over to them. The cops don't give out cash prizes to good Samaritans. I'm not gonna risk getting on anyone's radar unless there's something in it for me.
Realistically, if I'm the lucky person who walks into that stall and is presented with this opportunity, I think I'd pocket just a little something. Not a lot. Nothing that's going to be immediately obvious. But I can fit $1,000 into my jeans and get out of there unscathed. And if I happen to have a friend who's down on his luck at the time, I may give the guy a call. Maybe the risk is worth it to him. The least I could do is give the option.
I would love to know what the actual plan for this money was. I've been operating under the impression that somebody was stashing it for someone else to pick up. That doesn't have to be the case. They could have been stashing the money for themselves. Maybe they got caught up with some bad apples and had to get the cash out of their home for a few days. Maybe they were coming off a 10-day meth run, got overly paranoid about banks, then decided withdrawing their life savings and stashing it about town was the safest move. As of now nobody knows. My best guess is that someone was supposed to pick up the money soon after it was dropped, but something happened to them on the way there (arrested, overdosed, died, etc.). If the money was supposed to be stashed for a longer period of time, they would have found a better location. And money being dropped at 2 different locations makes me think each drop came from a different source. Chances are this isn't the first time they've tried this. It's probably the work of a drug dealer who doesn't want to be seen making any hand-to-hand exchanges, so he has people leave his money for him in bathrooms around town. I'm likely way off on that, but that's how it reads to me. If you're in Marysville, Ohio, maybe spend a few hours tonight visiting some public restrooms. You never know what could still be out there.