What happened

David R. Staley (born May 1980) had a storage unit at the East Portland Extra Space Storage. I did too. In September 2022, he burgled two different storage units there. He was then evicted for stealing from customers.

I'm not sure why he took the things he did. But it feels almost as though David was targeting the most emotionally valuable objects in my life. Of course it's not true, but it sure feels that way.

David took a box with ten years of my journals. These had memories of my grandparents dying, my friends' deaths, of weddings and funerals, of loves and love lost. Irreplaceable memories that I will never get back.

It's been almost a year and I still have nightmares about it. I can't believe I lost the most important objects to me in the entire world; I can't cope with knowing that they're lost forever — and for nothing. They're not worth anything to anyone.

Why would you take these, David? Can't you at least tell me what you did with them? Even a little closure would help me recover emotionally from the most devastating thing that has ever happened to me.

The other things you took took were similarly emotionally wrenching.

He took the typewriter my grandfather wrote on, and which I inherited when he died. This was worth about $20 on eBay but was priceless to me.

He took all of the framed pictures I had. These were paintings friends had made for me and photos and posters from events I'd been to in my life. Again, worthless to him — invaluable and irreplaceable to me.

Why would you take these, David?

He took two fitted suits — what I wore to weddings and funerals — again, virtually worthless to anyone but me, but very expensive to replace.

Why would you take these, David?

Please help me, David. Please help me heal and do a good deed in the world and help give some of these things back. Or at least tell me where they went. 

Even knowing they are in a dumpster somewhere would give me some closure. 

I've talked to your father; you can just drop them off at your parents' house in Gresham and I'm sure they'll get them back to me. Or email me at FindMyJournals@gmail.com

This is what the journals looked like. All except one was black, with a marker logo in the corner, and stickers on the front indicating dates they covered. One was green and thick.

David, I want to give you money to get these things back to me. Will you let me? It would help me heal and, perhaps, help you heal too. I'm sure you're not a bad person, I know no one would knowingly take such emotionally valuable things.

David, I will take down this site if you reach out to me. You could even make money from reaching out — I will pay you for information or my journals.

Do you know David? Are you David? Have you seen these journals, or these paintings and other things around town? I'll give you a reward to get them back to me.

Here are some photos of the other things that got taken. Perhaps you recognize them.

This is my grandfather's typewriter. He was a writer and used it for work. I got it when he died. It was very heavy but not worth very much in resale value.

These are images of the paintings and art that David took. None of these have any resale value; some are prints, and some are paintings my friends made me.

* * *

David, I will take this site down when I here from you, and it will no longer come up as the first result when someone googles you. I'm sure you're not a bad person, and I know you want to make this right. 

There is love for you in the world, as there is for all of us. The Earth is not a cold dead place. There is hope and redemption.

Email me at FindMyJournals@gmail.com or call or text 518-407-5445.

Contact

David Staley took ten years of diaries from my storage unit in East Portland, Oregon. The diaries were the most important thing in the world to me, but to him (and anyone else) they were worthless. If you know where David Staley is (or if you are David Staley), please help get the diaries back. I'll pay you $400, David (or anyone else).