Crumbling House Next Door

Bordering my property line, a manufactured home is left to be devoured by mother nature, abandoned. I have owned my property for multiple years, and, throughout that time, an owner has never been present, nor had I seen anything suspicious — until recently.

On August 20th of this year, police were dispatched to the home with an arrest warrant. The 20th of August was a Saturday, so being woken up around 7am to such a commotion was an unpleasant surprise. This was until, however, I realized it could finally give me the opportunity to know some history of the abandoned home. Unfortunately, the police were, understandably, unable to speak during the open investigation. They did, however, let me know that the owner of the home has been marked as a threat to himself and others. The man said for me to be on the lookout and that if I see anything out of the ordinary, I should give them a call.

A day or two passed and I noticed the police had accidentally left the front door ajar. I made a mental note to close the door when I got a chance so mother nature could not make her way inside.

The next day, I walked from my property to close the door. I was perplexed as I approached and realized the door was now closed.

I decided to walk around the home to inspect its condition and ensure the back door was not open or unlocked. Upon getting to the rear of the house, I noticed there was a small bedroom missing a lower windowpane. The opening was small, but it was sizable enough to fit a smaller person. I noticed the back door was closed, however, I reached up to grab the door handle. I was caught off guard by the door gliding open with ease, without me even turning the handle. I took a momentary glance, and closed the door. After that, I went to the open window to peek inside before I left. As I carefully placed my head in the window, I noticed a sticky note on the floor in the bedroom, lying in front of a closed door directly to my left with “Bathroom” written in Sharpie on it. It was close, so I reached inside and grabbed the note.

As I was taking in my last moment in the room, I was petrified to hear the back door, about 4 feet to the right of the window, smash against the wall I was leaning on. I pulled my head out of the window and, without hesitation, ran around the left side of the house back toward my property. When I got to the front, I saw a white male, around 5’8 in height, running in a similar direction as me. We saw each other clearly. After noticing that we were running in similar directions, he turned around and started to go the opposite way. I stood stationary with a racing heart, sifting through my pockets for my phone to call the police. I knew, however, it would be too late. When they showed up, I offered the police the best description I could give, and they went on their way. This time, we made sure the door was closed and locked.

When I got back home, I decided to try and figure out the history of the property, the owner, or anything I could find that could help give me peace of mind after these two incidents. I was unsure of the address, so I went to Zillow to see if it is listed there — I have noticed Zillow typically has a surprising amount of information. Fortunately, the home had been for sale in 2011, until it was quickly purchased, so I was able to find basic documentation, including the address.

Why would someone buy a home just to leave it abandoned? The interior was in decent shape; and aside from the porch, the exterior could be cleaned up easily.

Upon researching the address for an hour or two, I, disappointingly, produced no information. Finally, I decided to check out the county arrest record as a final effort for information.

The most recent arrest was a man charged with “Possession of Schedule II,” “Possession of Schedule IV,” and “Attempting to Elude.” The last charge was a massive red flag. My local Sheriff’s office does not seem to release mugshots publicly, so I could not identify the man's appearance on their side. Instead, I copied his name and searched it into Google. I was met by not only a youthful photo of the guy I saw hours earlier, but a plethora of articles on both a local and national level about him. He has been arrested many times, but I was stunned as I started scrolling articles about one arrest.

For my safety, I am going to keep every identity and location confidential.

In April of 2012, he was arrested and accused of killing a hiker. Articles from 2014 unpack new case discoveries and updates, but also go into the personal life of the murderer. Newly publicized records at the time show that he was the caretaker of his aunt. His aunt had dementia and needed help with everyday tasks; help that he was meant to provide. His aunt passed away in November of 2012, alone. In the latter half of 2014, the trial was finally starting, and the man was making a spectacle of himself. Local news covered his trial in detail and capitalized off of it. Armed by documentation and well-respected lawyers, the man was able to successfully pull off an extremely rare insanity plea and was sentenced to “mandatory treatment,” whatever that means. While the initial arrest was made about 2 hours away, I was shocked to see past news coverage showing the house in the background. According to 2014 coverage, the home belonged to the aunt of the killer. This home is where they lived at the time of the incident.

While the status of the home is unclear, I wonder what the future holds for it and who owns it. I have been thinking about it a lot lately, and honestly, I am starting to feel uneasy about the potential risks.

Written by JosephTheSnail