Davis Wahlman ignored the sound in his attic for as long as he could. But when it simply would not go away, he felt compelled to go check it out and discover its source. The noises had started after he had been away from home for a few days. And he worried that during his absence, rats, raccoons, or other vermin might have moved in. He could never have guessed what was making noises in his attic.
Because the noises were bothering him, Wahlman decided to investigate the attic in his Green Lake, Washington home.
As he approached his attic, he noticed something strange. The light was on. He hadn’t been up there since before he left the house for his trip. Had he left it on for that long? He didn’t think he had. And this made him question about what could be making all the noise. He’d heard stories about how raccoons were adept with their paws and could navigate through closed doors. But had a raccoon really turned the light on? He wasn’t too naïve to believe that.
Then Wahlman discovered another clue that an unwanted guest was in the attic. The insect screen had been knocked out of a window and was in the tub in his attic’s bathroom.
In an interview with KOMO News, Wahlman said, “I don’t immediately freak out, but I’m like ‘This is not ordinary.’”
He went back downstairs without investigating further. Then for the next day, he set out to convince himself that he was just paranoid. But the noises returned late at night. And he could not deny that he heard them. They were loud enough to wake him from sleep.
“I am kind of jolted out of bed,” Wahlman said. “I hear rummaging around above me, which I know is the attic, so I’m like ‘That’s kind of weird.’”
Wahlman was determined to identify the intruder. He did not doubt that something was in his attic. His imagination had not invented these noises.
When he got upstairs, the attic door was locked. This moment was when he realized that a human was inside his house. He worried that he would need to defend himself from the intruder.
Before he could grab a weapon, Wahlman knocked. He immediately regretted it, but he also doubted that anyone would answer.
But he was wrong. A woman’s voice called out from the other side of his attic door.
“Jimmy? Is that you Jimmy?”
Wahlman was shocked. He told KOMO News:
“I was like ‘No, it’s not Jimmy. Who is this and why are you in my house?’”
Wahlman does not know a Jimmy.
“I’m like ‘Who the heck are you? Why are you in my house?’ And she just keeps kind of going ‘This is my house. I live here. I’ve been here for three days. Jimmy said I could live here. Jimmy said I could stay here.’”
Wahlman dialed 911.
He tried to keep the woman from fleeing, but she escaped before the police arrived. Despite telling dispatch that he had an intruder, they didn’t send someone for 18 minutes.
Wahlman said, “It took 18 minutes. That’s a little disappointing.”
