I have a neighbor who is disabled and perpetually broke, so I pick up groceries, keep her supplied with cat food and litter and for her cat, make sure she gets a ride to doctor’s appointments and so on.
In addition to being perpetually broke, she is quite lonely, so when some acquaintance of hers asked if he could stay in her spare bedroom for a week because his wife was out of town (and in return, he would shovel snow, get groceries etc) she said yes. Weird right there, I know.
Anyhow this old guy has been there for days, then neighbor called me this afternoon in a panic. Apparently police surrounded her house, then came to the door and asked if Doug was there. Doug meanwhile dove into a back bedroom and told her not to answer the door. Neighbor thankfully let the police in, and Doug was removed from her house in handcuffs. She was subsequently questioned about his activities and whatever, and she also had to surrender both of her cell phones because he had used her phones to make phone calls.
So I go online and find out that the guy’s wife has apparently been missing for about a month; family finally called to make a missing person report. So I’m guessing Doug is a primary person of interest.
Doug did not report his wife missing - apparently all he had to offer was “she’s been staying with a sick relative out of town” which now appears to be completely bogus. Oh, and I should probably mention: he can cash her disability checks.
My neighbor is utterly freaked out that she may have been harboring a possible murderer or at least a guy whose wife is missing and he’s being inexplicably squirrely about it. I stopped by her house on the way home from work and she had a chair wedged up against her locked front door. She’s consumed with the idea that this guy is going to be let out and will come after her.
I am loaning her my smallest, most noisy dog for company and security tonight.
That is what I told her - the detectives did not give her a call-back number. Don’t they usually? I told her to call the general number and say she is scared and what should she do now (and as an aside, ummm, can I get my phones back pretty please.)
I agree she needs to cut all communication with Doug. I also suggested she ask the cops if she needed a lawyer, or if she was in any trouble. I don’t see that she is, since she was as gobsmacked as I was on learning that his wife had been missing for a month.
But I really don’t know Doug or his wife or anything of their situation beyond what I’ve learned from neighbor and the news.
Doug had ample opportunity to kill her or do whatever he wanted to do to her during the time he was staying at her house. He didn’t touch her.
Doug isn’t being questioned in connection with serial killings. His wife is missing and he’s elderly.
Either he had something to do with his wife’s disappearance or he didn’t. If he did kill her, his actions don’t suggest that he has a killing spree on his mind.
Doug could could be a complete piece of shit, but he doesn’t sound like a crazed killer who is going to start taking old ladies out every chance he gets. Her fears are unrealistic, and no murderer in history ever said “I can’t murder X because they have a restraining order against me”.
Maybe you could be there with your neighbor when Doug picks up his things. She could stay inside and you could bring them out to him.
He didn’t have a motive to do so - until she answered the door and let the cops in to collect him, despite his begging her not to do so. Now there’s a possibility he may be mad at her for that.
A restraining order may help, in that even if he goes over to her house just to yell at her, he can be put in jail for that.
She can go to VineLink and register to be alerted when Doug is released from custody. So until she gets that message, she can rest easy that he is still locked up.
Oh yes, because there was absolutely no other way the police could have or would have gained entry other than from her opening the door, right?
No way in hell would they have busted down the door of a disabled person who they suspect is harboring, make that possibly being held by, a suspect in a very suspicious missing persons case if they aren’t answering the door, right? I’m sure they would have shrugged and walked away, giving up that lead.
Wake up. They were coming in if she answered that door or not. The only difference in her answering is that her door is still on its hinges.
I don’t think they give out restraining orders just in case someone might yell at you.
Her best bet is to tell Doug that under the circumstances she doesn’t feel comfortable being friendly with him, wish him well and give him back his belongings, or have someone do it for her if she can’t face him herself.
Update - Doug is still in custody (I think the police can hold someone 48 hours without charging them) but the cops are being very guarded. Neighbor was able to track down the missing woman’s oldest daughter - from an earlier marriage; Doug is not her father - and the police aren’t telling her anything except that he’s still in police custody.
The police broke into the couple’s home and searched both the home and the woods behind the property but have found nothing. Or at least nothing they’re telling the press or public since there have been no updates in local media. I drove by the house on the way home from work this afternoon and it is being boarded up, which doesn’t bode well for ol’ Doug, I’m thinking.
Daughter did tell neighbor that Doug and his wife had been fighting a lot recently but she didn’t know why. And that Doug has been telling friends and family members “all sorts of lies” about where his wife was - once they figured that out, they reported her missing.
Inna Minute - I did say “possible” felon.
xisor, thanks for that link!
Anyway, Neighbor has calmed down considerably although she is still very upset - for one thing, she knew the missing woman. And also she is disturbed that Doug stayed in her spare bedroom for a whole week after possibly killing his wife, or knowing something about her disappearance and hiding from the police. We’ll help her get a restraining order if that seems appropriate.
My dog is now back home with me, having done her duty as Stout Protector.
Welp we are in a holding pattern, waiting until the township police decide to release information. Doug is apparently still in custody so it would appear they have something on him. And his wife “Lonnie” is still completely missing. And their house is all boarded up. I don’t think it’s looking very good.
My neighbor is in a much better frame of mind now, thankfully. We hope to find out what the heck happened soon. The woman’s face and description are still being broadcast as missing on local TV.
Do you read minds? Or can you just not find factual fault with what I actually said?
Which of my statements do you disagree with exactly?
That the police had no other means of entry other than the disabled woman opening the door?
That restraining orders will not prevent you from being murdered? That you can’t get a restraining order because you think someone might “yell” at you at some point in the future?
My suggestion that the OP be there with his neighbor when Doug picks up his things so she could stay inside and he could bring them out to him? Or that the neighbor should tell Doug that under the circumstances she doesn’t feel comfortable being friendly with him, or have someone do this for her if she can’t face him.
When the police showed up, did he grab a knife, hold it to her throat and tell her she was dead if she made a sound? No. He ran into a back room and begged her not to open the door. Sure doesn’t sound like he was interested in harming her to me.
Was she his hostage while he was staying with her? Did he mistreat her or threaten her? Not according to the OP.
Do I think he probably had something to do with whatever happened to his wife? Yes, but that doesn’t mean he is even remotely interest in harming anyone else. His behavior towards the neighbor has been docile.
I can understand her not being comfortable around him right now if he’s not her very best friend in the whole wide world, but the omg he’s going to come back and get you and the little dog too!!! attitude is a bit much.
Do you read minds? Or can you just not find factual fault with what I actually said?
Which of my statements do you disagree with exactly?
That the police had no other means of entry other than the disabled woman opening the door?
That restraining orders will not prevent you from being murdered? That you can’t get a restraining order because you think someone might “yell” at you at some point in the future?
My suggestion that the OP be there with his neighbor when Doug picks up his things so she could stay inside and he could bring them out to him? Or that the neighbor should tell Doug that under the circumstances she doesn’t feel comfortable being friendly with him, or have someone do this for her if she can’t face him.
When the police showed up, did he grab a knife, hold it to her throat and tell her she was dead if she made a sound? No. He ran into a back room and begged her not to open the door. Sure doesn’t sound like he was interested in harming her to me.
Was she his hostage while he was staying with her? Did he mistreat her or threaten her? Not according to the OP.
Do I think he probably had something to do with whatever happened to his wife? Yes, but that doesn’t mean he is even remotely interest in harming anyone else. His behavior towards the neighbor has been docile.
I can understand her not being comfortable around him right now if he’s not her very best friend in the whole wide world, but the omg he’s going to come back and get you and the little dog too!!! attitude is a bit much.
