How would you find out the identity of the author of these mysterious post-its? (Daniel Sirdofsky)
Journalism grad student Daniel Sirdofsky had planned for a productive Friday in the nation’s capital, a frantic day of finishing off final projects and knocking off a few additional reporting requirements for Medill News Service. Little did he realize his world was about to be turned upside down by two anonymous post-it notes.
On Friday shortly after 3 p.m. Sirdofsky received a worried phone call from the subletter of his Chicago apartment, which he wasrenting out as he finished his grad program in DC. The subletter, a banker looking only to rent a place close to Wrigley Field, said that he was spooked by the post-its he had found in the apartment and might want out of the agreement.
“SirdoFSKy TURN iN yoUr Keys you moved ouT Keep OuT,” read one of the yellow stick-ems. “SirdoFSKY, STAY OUT, Police will be LookiNg For you Soon,” read another, both scrawled in infantile scribble.
As a journalist, you have constant curiosity – sometimes to the detriment of friends and relationships. The most fanatical reporters are your role models, the nonstop hamster wheel the status quo for modern journalism. Indeed, keeping your head about you outside of the office can lead to a major scoop. Yet while we’re encouraged to use our investigative skills to notice things that might turn into big stories, when are we supposed to stop using those skills in our personal lives?Sirdofsky initially made an effort to apply those skills to the current mystery.
First, he worked his sources. He began a flurry of phone calls. He first called the landlord, and then called the building group in charge of the facilities. They did not admit responsibility. Then he called the subletter who had left six days prior – and who also claimed innocence. Then he moved to the authorities. He called the police – both to see if this is something he should report and if the note’s threat that the police were looking for him was correct.
“The police pretty much laughed in my face,” said Sirdofsky.
There were a few potential suspects. Sirdofsky reached out to the three main candidates. No dice – they had alibis.
In total, Sirdofsky estimates that 15 to 20 other people know where he lived. He has not contacted all of them, he says, nor does he plan to.
“It’s not worth it,” Sirdofsky said. “The subletter said he’d stay so my journalistic reputation be damned.”
Sirdofsky has done in-depth reporting on complicated subjects including but not limited to how much it costs to procure an AK 47, and dynamic random access memory – but he does not find it amusing to have his life be the subject of a distressing event.
“It’s not funny at all,” Sirdofsky said.
There are further steps Sirdofsky could take were he to continue the intrepid-reporter approach to the post-its – but they are somewhat extreme, according to experts. For instance, looking at the handwriting is an option, according to forensic document examiner Dennis Ryan. The best way to go about it is to get 15 to 20 writing samples of the same sentence from people you think are suspects. In more difficult cases, you can use a writing sample – like a paper or a check – and compare the two.
Yet looking at the handwriting on the note without any comparison won’t do much good, Ryan said. There’s no research or data that has been conducted in a scientific nature that shows a correlation between handwriting and education, let alone race, gender or age, he said.
“I’ve seen some brilliant scientists who can’t even put a sentence together,” he said.
Additionally, Danny could collect DNA and fingerprints, according to Chicago private investigator Bill Webber. Yet again, unless Sirdofsky actually had possible matches to check them against, it would be useless.
The only other thing is to put a camera on the door and see if the perpetrator pulls another trick, Webber said. Or, he suggested, start playing practical jokes on all of your friends to see if someone comes forward.
“What goes around comes around,” he said.