By skyforbes I managed to track it using find my iPhone and it lead me to a house.
From that house I banged on the front door and was answered by a mum. I explained that I tracked my son’s phone to this house and from there discovered her son and 2 of his friends had just been there. She calls him and then I follow her in my car to a second kids house.
At this house all 3 kids are there and I tell him I don’t care who stole it just hand it back and it’s done. All 3 kids swear black and blue that they have never seen it and know nothing about it. I exchange numbers with the mum from the first house and the dad from the second house. Then I have to leave knowing full well one of them has it.
I get home and receive a call from the mum from the first house. She has checked the security cameras from her house and discovered the kid from the second house who swore that they have never had a phone is miraculously holding a phone in the footage. This has already been sent to the dad and next minute I get a message from the guilty kids mum asking if she can come to my house.
Her and her son arrive teary eyed and apologetic. I just ask for the phone back and she shakes her head saying that he has smashed and destroyed it. It was only an iPhone XE so not expensive but as a single mum working full time was my means of communication with my son.
She asks if she can go buy me a phone now but I ask if she just contributes $100 and I’ll find a similar phone off marketplace as I prefer an iPhone as I connect it to mine and can monitor parental controls and other settings. She agrees and is happy to pay that.
It has been over a week now and she has now stopped replying to any messages and won’t answer any calls. Last message I sent was me saying if I didn’t receive payment I would report and charge her 11 year old son. So AITA if I charge him for theft and destruction of property?
Also as a side note I have camera footage, admission of guilt in her text messages and agreeing she would pay as well as her son admitting to the school that he stole it as well. So have enough evidence to go forward.