After allowing two men who were pretending to be utility company employees into their home, an elderly man from Michigan was killed and his wife was left cuffed, according to authorities.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office released a news release announcing the 72-year-old man’s death in the 3700 block of Newcastle Drive in Rochester Hills just before noon on Friday:
Following a 911 call from the wife, who was found to be bound and duct-taped and worried that her husband had been kidnapped, deputies were called to the residence.
Police discovered his body in the house’s basement, and it was so “gruesome” that they are still unsure if he was shot or bludgeoned to death.
The sheriff’s office obtained Ring doorbell footage. The clip shows a man identifying himself as DTE and putting on a N95 mask while wearing a fluorescent work vest. He says, “We’re trying to look for gas leaks.”
The speaker then turned over a clipboard to reveal to the camera a piece of paper bearing the DTE Energy logo that appeared to be from the energy provider with its headquarters in Detroit.
This 72-year-old woman informed deputies that the two male suspects had visited their house the previous evening but had been denied entry. According to the authorities, the couple let them back into the house on Friday, and the husband took them downstairs “ostensibly to look for the leak.”
The woman called police after they stated she “did not see her husband come up from the basement with the men and assumed he had been kidnapped.” It is unclear exactly when the woman was bound and duct taped.
When the cops arrived, the suspects had vanished.
While other family members are being notified, neither victim’s name has been disclosed.
If anything was taken from the house, investigators are still unsure of it.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said, “We are looking for the public’s help – anyone who may have seen something, anything.” He also advised residents to be cautious when inviting strangers inside their houses, even if they appear to be workers.
The public was also urged to get in touch by the sheriff’s office if they had any information about the identity or whereabouts of the suspects.
Author: Steven Sinclaire
