Found an item? Your responsibilities

What to do when you find someone else's property — your responsibilities and how to return it safely.

Found something in Stillwater? Handling it responsibly protects both you and the owner. Rules vary by location, but the principles are consistent.

Make a reasonable effort to find the owner. Check for ID, contact details, or anything that identifies who it belongs to.
Don't assume it's yours to keep. Keeping found property without trying to return it can have legal consequences. When in doubt, hand it in.
Hand valuables to the authorities. Report significant or high-value finds to the police non-emergency line for Stillwater; they'll log it and may issue a reference.
Store it safely. Keep the item secure and unchanged while you try to return it.
Post a found listing. Add a found-item listing for Stillwater with enough detail for the real owner to identify it — while holding back one verifying detail.

Helpful resources for Stillwater

Nextdoor
Reach neighbors to return a found item

Recent reports in Stillwater

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Found: Paintings in Stillwater

On Saturday around 3:15 PM, I found a stack of paintings tucked behind a planter near the OSU bookstore on University Avenue, in the Campus Corner area. There are five canvases, with landscapes and abstracts in bright colors, all in wooden frames. A few frames have minor scratches, and one corner shows a tiny initials mark. I left them in a safe spot by the steps of the bookstore, hoping the owner would recognize them. They look valuable and well cared for, and seeing them again would mean a lot to the artist behind them. If they belong to you, this listing could help reunite you with them.

Campus Corner, by the OSU bookstore 11 days ago

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Found Acuvue Oasys contact lens near library

I found a single Acuvue Oasys contact lens yesterday around 3pm outside the Stillwater Public Library on Main Street. It's a clear, soft lens with a small blue edge marker that helps me tell it apart from my other lenses. I picked it up near the stone bench by the entrance after noticing it lying on the sidewalk. If you're missing a lens, I’d love to help get it back to you—meet near the library desk or I can drop it off there. Category: Lost Contact.

Stillwater about 2 months ago

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Keys with panda keycap on red carabiner

Found a set of keys this afternoon around 2:15 pm in the parking lot behind the Stillwater Public Library on Main Street. There are two metal house keys, a Toyota key fob with a cracked plastic housing, and a bright red carabiner clip attached to a blue silicone key ring. One key has a tiny panda-shaped rubber cap, and there’s a small blue tag stamped with 'LM' on another key. They look lightly used but functional. If someone recognizes these, I’d be happy to return them to their owner.

Stillwater 2 months ago

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Emerald green knit scarf with silver threads

Found a scarf this morning around 9:15am outside the Stillwater Bakery on Main Street. It's an emerald green knit scarf, thick and warm, about 70 inches long with a subtle silver thread woven through the yarn. There’s a tiny embroidered initials 'AL' near the fringe and a faint coffee stain on the near edge. The scarf is in good condition overall—just a little wrinkled from being stuffed in my tote. If this belongs to you, I’m glad to return it; hope the owner sees this and can claim it.

Stillwater 2 months ago

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White queen duvet cover with navy piping monogram LJ

I found a white queen-size duvet cover this afternoon around 2:30pm, tucked behind the bike racks outside the Stillwater Public Library on Main Street. It's in good condition—clean, no tears, just a little wrinkle from being rolled up. The fabric is soft cotton, with navy piping along the edges and a small gray monogram 'LJ' in the lower-right corner. There's a faint coffee stain near the corner that makes it unique. It looks like it belongs to someone local; I'd hate for it to get lost in the shuffle. If this is yours, I hope it finds its way back soon.

Stillwater 2 months ago

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Black leather Samsonite briefcase found near Stillwater Public Library

I found a black leather Samsonite briefcase this afternoon around 2:15pm outside the Stillwater Public Library on Main Street, near the West 1st Ave crossing. It's a slim, roughly 14-inch case with a matte finish and a red fabric interior. There’s a small scratch along the top edge and a metal tag on the front cover engraved with the initials A.J. Inside I spotted a leather-bound planner, a USB-C charger, and a coffee-shop receipt. The bag looked generally intact, and I figured someone could be missing it after a workday. If this belongs to you, DM me with the initials on the tag or the coffee-shop receipt to verify ownership.

Stillwater 3 months ago