Video shows fake DTE workers accused of killing man, hurting wife

WXYZ, OAKLAND COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, CNN

By WXYZ Web Team

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    ROCHESTER HILLS, Michigan (WXYZ) — Two suspects claiming to be DTE workers killed a homeowner and restrained his wife with duct tape at a home in Rochester Hills on Friday, officials say.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said this happened on Newcastle Drive near Adams and Dutton roads.

Authorities are searching for the two men. It’s unclear if they are armed, but the sheriff’s office said they should be considered dangerous.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard says the two men, who had a white pickup truck with a DTE placard, rolled up to the house Thursday night and tried to get in but were denied.

On Friday, officials say the men tried again, claiming that they were investigating a gas leak in the area.

Bouchard says the husband went to the basement with the workers but never came up again. The wife reportedly told officials that the men came upstairs, bound her with duct tape and looked through the house for about 20 minutes before leaving the scene.

The wife is currently at the hospital recovering.

Friday afternoon, Bouchard said authorities were processing the scene.

Officials say the 72-year-old victim was a business owner in Wayne County. 7 News Detroit learned he owned Gold & Glitter Jewelry in Hamtramck.

His cause of death was yet determined as of Friday night due to extent of his injuries and the amount of blood found at the scene.

“‘A loving guy, owned a business, cared about his neighborhood and his community. Shouldn’t have been a target of this. No one should ever be a target of this,” Bouchard said.

The sheriff said the department believes the incident was targeted.

“It wasn’t random, they’re not just knocking on doors and doing this. We think they were specifically looking to violate this family and obviously, the one link we’re looking at initially is because they own a business,” Bouchard said. “We’re going to check every direction and every potential motive.”

Investigators accessed Ring doorbell video of the victims’ home after working for hours to obtain it while waiting for Amazon or Ring to send it to them. Authorities got a search warrant and had the owner’s permission to access the footage but ran into issues with two-factor authentication.

Investigators ultimately asked family to help the wife get a new cellphone and transfer service to that device to access the video footage.

Bouchard said they also canvassed the neighborhood to look for surveillance video.

“When I started hearing the details of what happened, it was very disturbing,” said Austin Rogers, who grew up living across the street from the victims.

Rogers’ dad was friends with the victim.

“He was a nice guy. He was always doing yard work — that’s when i would see him. He would always wave, say hello,” Rogers said.

DTE released a statement after the incident:

Our hearts go out to the victims of this horrific and tragic event, and we hope the perpetrators are quickly apprehended and brought to justice.

It is important to note that, before DTE arrives at a customer’s home for any service visit, we make every effort to contact them in advance, either through a phone call from our call center or via email or text message.

DTE employees always carry photo identification. We encourage customers to request to see the identification badge before allowing access to their property. If customers want to verify a worker’s identity or confirm that a vehicle is an authorized company vehicle, they should call DTE customer service at 800-477-4747 to confirm the validity of the visit.

The company also sent tips for when someone identifies as a DTE employee and tries to enter your home.

Know your gas provider. Just because DTE supplies your electricity, it does not mean they supply your gas as well. Impersonators aren’t always aware of our service territory. Please note that while DTE does not provide residential gas distribution in Rochester Hills, it does operate gas transmission pipelines in the area.

Before DTE makes a routine visit to your home, we will make every effort to contact you in advance, either through a phone call from our call center or via email or text message.

It is very rare that a DTE employee would need to enter your home, but it does happen. DTE will use every opportunity to make you aware of any work needing to be done at your home and if possible will contact you in advance to schedule time for the work to be completed.

Prior to allowing a person claiming to work for DTE in your home or on your property, you should look for and do the following: All DTE Electric and DTE Gas employees and contractors carry photo identification badges, and are required to show their badge when asked.

Customers should ask the employee why they are there and, if necessary, call 800-477-4747 to confirm before allowing entry or access to their property. Keep your door locked while you are making the call, and only speak through a locked screen door if it’s necessary to talk to the person.

If an employee/contractor refuses to show their badge, the customer should refuse service and call 800-477-4747 to verify whether or not DTE is scheduled to be on site or at their home.

In regards to gas service, the only reason a DTE employee would need to enter your home is if your gas meter is indoors. This is common in older homes.

Anyone with information on the suspects, incident or has surveillance video is asked to call the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office at 248-858-4951 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.

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