This started for us last Sunday morning but first a little back history. Several years ago my mother-in-law passed away. Since then my son lived in the house she owned and lived in and then my sister-in-law would stay there when she came to Louisiana. We decided to put it up for sale but it needed work and so I did most of it and then the SIL got someone to come in and do some work and replace carpet. A few months ago I completed painting and so cleaning so it was ready to go up for sale. Well, the SIL was handling listing it with a realtor so that's why it was moving slow getting it up for sale. We would stop by every week or so to pick up mail but hadn't gone in in about a month.
Last Sunday my wife gets a text from a neighbor saying that the front door was wide open so the husband closed it. We had a cold front come through last weekend and it was very windy and the front door faces due north but I knew that I had made sure the doors were locked that last time I was there. I went over ASAP and attempted very carefully to enter the back door which was used 100% percent of the time because it's right off the carport. Of course I was carrying a weapon! So my key doesn't work which is pretty unusual. I get another key to the door from my truck and try it and it still doesn't work. I go around the front and sure enough the front door is unlocked. I carefully enter with my weapon drawn and clear the first floor. As I'm doing so I see signs of someone having been there. The TV is on with an open air antenna hooked up to it as if someone was trying to get reception. I go upstairs and clear it. No one there! But, someone had been there bathing, changing clothes (their's, there were no clothes except for a few things left hanging in a closet that were my MIL's including a fur coat). There are several pieces of furniture in the house, including two sofas, chair, dining room set, end tables, coffee table, tv and console. So, after seeing this and making sure no one is in the house I go back outside and call 911 to report. The next door neighbor comes home and I tell him someone had been living there and he's like we thought you had contractor's working there. They(he and his wife heard people there for at least a week. Two deputies arrive and I tell them what has happened. I told them I already cleared the house and they look at me almost in disbelief. So we go in and I show them things I discovered like shampoo and body wash, the bath rug they brought to use for after they bathed(that wasn't there before), toothbrush, drinks left on the table and even a paper towel used as a coaster for a drink on one of the end tables. Also left behind some dirty undershirts which were still somewhat damp from god knows what. There was also a phone charger left behind as well as that open air antenna which was brand new. So they call for crime scene to come out and take fingerprints. While waiting for that I discovered two broken window panes and they were so slick that they cleaned up broken glass and put it in the garbage can on the carport. Apparently they got in by doing something to the back door lock and it wouldn't work any more. When crime scene deputy got there they went through the garbage can to retrieve prints from the broken glass and I see they enjoyed Chinese takeout and tossed the plates and stuff in that can. Later I found a bloody bandage in an end table drawer as well as one in an upstairs garbage can. The house was clean and fresh smelling before they broke in but they must've done a good bit of smoking indoors as I've had to go and spray air freshener every day.
Other crazy stuff I found out after talking to neighbors is it was an older male between 50-60 years old and a younger female. A neighbor that has a daytime caretaker gave me a description of the male and said while outside taking the neighbor(older lady)out for fresh air and a walk saw the male roll the garbage can out to the curb then roll it back under the carport and did this three consecutive times only to leave it under the carport with trash still in it. That's crazy ****!
Now this didn't happen in a crappy neighborhood. We're talking about near Clearview, West Esplanade and Avron Blvd area in Metairie. After a copple hours of deputies and crime scene taking prints and DNA I went and got new door lock hardware and replaced it with double cylinder locks even though the doors are solid wood.
I had my wife print up some notes that we posted on the doors to let the unwelcome guests know that police were notified and warn them that NO TRESPASSING will be tolerated. I did this to prevent them breaking in again and keep from having to replace door hardware again. I figure they probably wouldn't be caught anyway.
Talking to other neighbors and warn them I have found out that they had one and possibly two vehicles and weren't shy about being there. A young kid that lives across the street saw the male while riding his bike. Another neighbor says he thought we had rented the house out as he saw both the woman and man outside come and go in their car. Apparently they were possibly entertaining while there.
So, let this be a warning that just because you have an empty house in the neighborhood and suddenly have neighbors doesn't mean they legitimately belong there. Watch out for what goes in in your neighborhood. You never know! I'm more than sure the next door neighbors that thought we had contractors working there feel like crap for not saying something about the unwelcome squatters sooner. I go back every day now to check on things and make sure no one is in the house. Yes, I basically clear the house everyday. Scary thing is my wife was there about three days before discovering all this to pick up mail. Good thing she didn't go inside to check on things. I usually left lights on in different rooms and switched them up whenever I would go in.
Last Sunday my wife gets a text from a neighbor saying that the front door was wide open so the husband closed it. We had a cold front come through last weekend and it was very windy and the front door faces due north but I knew that I had made sure the doors were locked that last time I was there. I went over ASAP and attempted very carefully to enter the back door which was used 100% percent of the time because it's right off the carport. Of course I was carrying a weapon! So my key doesn't work which is pretty unusual. I get another key to the door from my truck and try it and it still doesn't work. I go around the front and sure enough the front door is unlocked. I carefully enter with my weapon drawn and clear the first floor. As I'm doing so I see signs of someone having been there. The TV is on with an open air antenna hooked up to it as if someone was trying to get reception. I go upstairs and clear it. No one there! But, someone had been there bathing, changing clothes (their's, there were no clothes except for a few things left hanging in a closet that were my MIL's including a fur coat). There are several pieces of furniture in the house, including two sofas, chair, dining room set, end tables, coffee table, tv and console. So, after seeing this and making sure no one is in the house I go back outside and call 911 to report. The next door neighbor comes home and I tell him someone had been living there and he's like we thought you had contractor's working there. They(he and his wife heard people there for at least a week. Two deputies arrive and I tell them what has happened. I told them I already cleared the house and they look at me almost in disbelief. So we go in and I show them things I discovered like shampoo and body wash, the bath rug they brought to use for after they bathed(that wasn't there before), toothbrush, drinks left on the table and even a paper towel used as a coaster for a drink on one of the end tables. Also left behind some dirty undershirts which were still somewhat damp from god knows what. There was also a phone charger left behind as well as that open air antenna which was brand new. So they call for crime scene to come out and take fingerprints. While waiting for that I discovered two broken window panes and they were so slick that they cleaned up broken glass and put it in the garbage can on the carport. Apparently they got in by doing something to the back door lock and it wouldn't work any more. When crime scene deputy got there they went through the garbage can to retrieve prints from the broken glass and I see they enjoyed Chinese takeout and tossed the plates and stuff in that can. Later I found a bloody bandage in an end table drawer as well as one in an upstairs garbage can. The house was clean and fresh smelling before they broke in but they must've done a good bit of smoking indoors as I've had to go and spray air freshener every day.
Other crazy stuff I found out after talking to neighbors is it was an older male between 50-60 years old and a younger female. A neighbor that has a daytime caretaker gave me a description of the male and said while outside taking the neighbor(older lady)out for fresh air and a walk saw the male roll the garbage can out to the curb then roll it back under the carport and did this three consecutive times only to leave it under the carport with trash still in it. That's crazy ****!
Now this didn't happen in a crappy neighborhood. We're talking about near Clearview, West Esplanade and Avron Blvd area in Metairie. After a copple hours of deputies and crime scene taking prints and DNA I went and got new door lock hardware and replaced it with double cylinder locks even though the doors are solid wood.
I had my wife print up some notes that we posted on the doors to let the unwelcome guests know that police were notified and warn them that NO TRESPASSING will be tolerated. I did this to prevent them breaking in again and keep from having to replace door hardware again. I figure they probably wouldn't be caught anyway.
Talking to other neighbors and warn them I have found out that they had one and possibly two vehicles and weren't shy about being there. A young kid that lives across the street saw the male while riding his bike. Another neighbor says he thought we had rented the house out as he saw both the woman and man outside come and go in their car. Apparently they were possibly entertaining while there.
So, let this be a warning that just because you have an empty house in the neighborhood and suddenly have neighbors doesn't mean they legitimately belong there. Watch out for what goes in in your neighborhood. You never know! I'm more than sure the next door neighbors that thought we had contractors working there feel like crap for not saying something about the unwelcome squatters sooner. I go back every day now to check on things and make sure no one is in the house. Yes, I basically clear the house everyday. Scary thing is my wife was there about three days before discovering all this to pick up mail. Good thing she didn't go inside to check on things. I usually left lights on in different rooms and switched them up whenever I would go in.