When Brittney Welsh discovered her self-storage unit was broken into, she took it upon herself to track down those who stole personal items worth thousands of dollars.

Welsh, of Slippery Rock, reported the theft to police, but soon learned little could done because the storage site, located in Venango Township, did not have surveillance cameras or an employee stationed there 24/7.

“(The officer) said that there isn’t a whole lot that they can do,” Welsh told reporter William Pitts in a story the Tuesday, Oct. 22, edition of the Butler Eagle. “He said that with their resources and their time and availability, they’re not going to be able to do a whole bunch.”

So the amateur sleuth started to piece together a portion of the trail the culprit or culprits left behind.

Her detective work determined more than 20 other lockers at the facility and another facility in Franklin Township also were burglarized.

“The whole thing’s crazy,” Welsh said. “It’s crazy that they could have gotten into two units multiple times and nobody knows anything.”

Her quest began after a stranger found personal photos and other items bearing Welsh’s name scattered along a road 7 miles from the storage unit. The stranger obtained Welsh’s phone number via an online search.

While examining the damage to her unit, Welsh found two mysterious boxes that were not previously there. They bore the address of a man she did not know.

After some searching, she found the boxes belonged to a man who told her his storage unit in Franklin Township also had been broken into.

She had found another victim.

Her investigation snowballed, and she was able to determine more than 20 other lockers at her storage site also were broken into.

Self-storage facilities such as hers and the one in Franklin Township typically don’t have security cameras or staff on-site 24/7.

The owner of her facility told Welsh he is taking the matter seriously and recently installed four security cameras at the site.

Although we certainly don’t recommend that those who have been victimized by a crime actively seek out the perpetrator, he hope Welsh’s dogged determination eventually will lead to those responsible for the crimes and result in an arrest.

JGG