A seriously crappy situation

How bizarre! Maybe he was wondering who would be so foolish to leave it there and took it for safekeeping, planning on returning asking you about it when he knew you'd be awake and he had a free moment?

Crazy world!

It's a totally sucky situation.

I think it's ultimately the friend's responsibility to replace the camera, regardless, IMO. If she accepted borrowing it, the implication is that until it's in your hands, she must bear responsibility for it. What if the milkman returns it and it is bad condition or doesn't return it? What about a payment schedule in writing, if she can't afford to replace it, if she has to. And she needs to buy either a cheap disposable camera next time or use the one on her phone!

I agree with this, though!:
 

Maybe he was confused as to why it was there & wasn't sure what to do?

I just wouldn't loan her anything anymore.

If she can't be responsible with her own stuff, why would she be with someone else's things.

Hope it works out OK for you, at any rate! 

If it were me, I'd never loan her anything again.  If she balks about it, maybe it's time to terminate the friendship.  She did bear the ultimate responsibility for returning the camera to you in good shape.  Leaving it under the milk bottles wasn't very responsible.   

As for the milkman, I'm of a divided mind.  He did own up to having the camera, but could have either left it alone or knocked on the door to let you know it was there.  Would he have been able to drop it through the mail slot and chose not to?  I do wonder if he'd have come forward on his own.  I'd probably let his supervisor know what happened.   

I'd be really pissed. It could have gotten rained, damp, scratched from being set under the crate.

Maybe a silly question but does the camera work?

I forgot to ask if your milkman added to your photo collection while he was holding on to your camera for you.   

LOL. Sadly no. That would have been interesting.

Maybe a silly question but does the camera work?

The camera is working just fine. I would have flipped if it was broken.

As for the milkman, I'm of a divided mind.  He did own up to having the camera, but could have either left it alone or knocked on the door to let you know it was there.  Would he have been able to drop it through the mail slot and chose not to?  I do wonder if he'd have come forward on his own.  I'd probably let his supervisor know what happened.   

He says he called in yesterday but we didn't have a note or anything. I'm not sure if he would have come forward otherwise. He could have shoved it through the mailslot. I don't know why either of them didn't just do that!