Neighbors vanished - any suggestions?

[pw405]

Ok, so I live in a neighborhood on the North side of Norman - the house to my east has seen about 3 different owners since I moved in during September of 04.

In May of 09 I noticed a new famliy had moved in, a single mother with 2 girls. They had a huge dog and I had introduced myself to them a few times, and let our dogs meet, as they looked ironically similiar.

Around the end of '09 I began to notice a boyfriend character over there - some guy that drove a truck - don't know if it was the children's father, or a new guy, whatever.

This spring, when mowing season started, I began to notice that the yard was a bit unkept. Tall weeds, and tons of those stupid "buyer guides" that the Oklahoma litters all over the city each day.

Time went on, and I finally called the city to report their 3 foot grass, as I noticed my dog started to get fleas. The city finally mowed the yard around October, and then once more later in October.

So, the house sits vacant. There was never a for sale sign, no moving trucks, they still have furniture on the front and back porch, and the house still has beds, an entertainment center, hoses connected front and back, etc. Even more puzzling is that somebody is still paying the bills, as the water is still on.

The fence has fallen into a state of disrepair, and yesterday I was attempting to place a brick against the gate so it would quite squeaking 24/7 - and I found their dogs collar with rabies tag, pet license, and phone number on it. The collar was burried under a bit of dirt near the gate.

It's like these people were murdered! I called the police last summer and let them know, they said they would "send a car out".

I am just wondering, is there anybody else I can notify of this? The county assessor still has the house listed as being owned by the same family that has been gone for about 9 months now.

After reading the story about the burried body in Norman today, I am hoping my (ex) neighbors don't turn up the same way! Any thoughts? suggestions?

[Easy180]

Likely they just walked away from the house...She is still alive but with a crap credit score

[PennyQuilts]

Do you know their names? Google them, facebook sleuth, stuff like that. I agree - they probably walked away from it. You can check online to see if they have some civil suits filed against them. If they have kids and they were murdered, someone would have noticed that they weren't showing up at school and that no receiving school had requested records. The city knows they aren't there if they are mowing their grass.

Is her last name Webb? Because I keep getting creditors calling about her and I've had this number a year and a half. <vbg>

[Thunder]

It may be a mystery murder case, but you were saying how the same house kept changing ownership. Maybe the house is haunted and something of the paranormal level is disappearing these people. Or perhaps they are witches and changed disguises a few times. There is a lot of things that could have happened, so I would do a deep research. Remember, signs are everywhere, even the smallest, so keep your eyes wide open.

[ljbab728]

It may be a mystery murder case, but you were saying how the same house kept changing ownership. Maybe the house is haunted and something of the paranormal level is disappearing these people. Or perhaps they are witches and changed disguises a few times. There is a lot of things that could have happened, so I would do a deep research. Remember, signs are everywhere, even the smallest, so keep your eyes wide open.

Yes, don't forget to watch for zombies!!!!!

[PennyQuilts]

Oh lord.

[Steve]

PW, if you email me the name and address (slackmeyer@oklahoman.com), I have some resources that might be of help in figuring out what's going on. In all likelihood the home is in foreclosure and if so, you need to put code enforcement on your speed dial and begin contacting the mortgage holder.

[ddavidson8]

They are invisible.

[Jesseda]

IT was zombies, im 90 percent sure, they might be at crossroads mall now..

[pw405]

Thanks for suggestions everybody - my first assumption is that were converted to Zombies and joined the recently formed crossroads mall cult, however I after some research I found that crossroads is actually turning into an indoor casino/amusement park/indoor-snow-skiing-extravaganza. (My ex's brother knows a guy that used to drive by the mall frequently on his daily commute, and he heard it from his dental assistant's fiance)

The only thing that doesn't seem in line with them walking away from the mortgage is that if they were in financial hardship, you would think they would take their stuff with them right? I mean, if you are low on cash, why would you leave expesnive stuff all around the inside and outside of the house?

That said - is it morally wrong for me to "use" their garden hose? I did have to spend alot of time spraying pesticides on their yard and my own to kill the onslaught of fleas that were associated with their 4 foot grass-fest. What about their grill?

Steve, PM coming!

[PennyQuilts]

Thanks for suggestions everybody - my first assumption is that were converted to Zombies and joined the recently formed crossroads mall cult, however I after some research I found that crossroads is actually turning into an indoor casino/amusement park/indoor-snow-skiing-extravaganza. (My ex's brother knows a guy that used to drive by the mall frequently on his daily commute, and he heard it from his dental assistant's fiance)

The only thing that doesn't seem in line with them walking away from the mortgage is that if they were in financial hardship, you would think they would take their stuff with them right? I mean, if you are low on cash, why would you leave expesnive stuff all around the inside and outside of the house?

That said - is it morally wrong for me to "use" their garden hose? I did have to spend alot of time spraying pesticides on their yard and my own to kill the onslaught of fleas that were associated with their 4 foot grass-fest. What about their grill?

Steve, PM coming!

It has been my experience, sadly, that many poor people routinely walk away and leave perfectly good stuff. A lot of it is crap they didn't pay for in the first place but a lot of it stems from just not wanting it anymore - it is used, afterall. It may be considered too much trouble to take with them or, frequently, they are temporarily shacking up with a parent or a friend with no room for their crap so they just abandon it rather than store it. Ask any landlord, they'll tell you.

If they abandoned the damn hose, use it. No sense letting a perfectly good hose go to waste. But today probably isn't the day to use it with the cold weather on the way.

[Martin]

i could see somebody walking away from the house. i could potentially see them leaving furniture behind. however, what confuses me is why the water is still on since it's hard for me to believe that somebody who ditched a house around 9 months ago without even taking their furniture has kept the water bill current. -M

[PennyQuilts]

i could see somebody walking away from the house. i could potentially see them leaving furniture behind. however, what confuses me is why the water is still on since it's hard for me to believe that somebody who ditched a house around 9 months ago without even taking their furniture has kept the water bill current. -M

Yeah, I am also wondering about that.

[Jesseda]

maybe she got marreid to the guy and he was military stationed somewhere for a year or so that has family housing, and they probably asked a relative to check up on the house and that relative is just lazy!!!.. anything could be the case

[BBatesokc]

i could see somebody walking away from the house. i could potentially see them leaving furniture behind. however, what confuses me is why the water is still on since it's hard for me to believe that somebody who ditched a house around 9 months ago without even taking their furniture has kept the water bill current. -M

When we bought our house, it was a foreclosure and owned by the bank. The utilities were all working when we looked at the house.

[PennyQuilts]

maybe she got marreid to the guy and he was military stationed somewhere for a year or so that has family housing, and they probably asked a relative to check up on the house and that relative is just lazy!!!.. anything could be the case

hahahha. True enough. I think the zombie scenario is more likely, though. <vbg>

[kevinpate]

It's possible there is an intent to return, that the place remains a safety net should other more current arrangements with a beau not pan out long term.
It's possible she is incarcerated, and some family member is keeping the place up on a bare minimal level pending her return.
It's possible she is done in, but it was worth keeping the place looking minimally active in hopes no one would be checking on her too closely.

For what it's worth, the latter seems the least likely given the time frame.

[pw405]

My theory?

The new boyfriend murdered the family one night. He has kept them buried in a deep freeze in the garage. He is still paying the bills so they won't thaw out. He halfway packed up the house and then decided to quit and skip town. He set the bills on automatic bank draft to keep the freezer running as long as possible. He fled to a country that does not have extradition laws. That is, however, just a theory.

[kevinpate]

My theory?

The new boyfriend murdered the family one night. He has kept them buried in a deep freeze in the garage. He is still paying the bills so they won't thaw out. He halfway packed up the house and then decided to quit and skip town. He set the bills on automatic bank draft to keep the freezer running as long as possible. He fled to a country that does not have extradition laws. That is, however, just a theory.

It's ok for made for tv scripts, but in reality, such a plan tends to fall apart the first time a criminal is faced with the question of does he pay the utility bill to protect his secret or does he buy a bud and a lap dance and hope the dancer gets freaky for free afterwards. Protecting the secret rarely wins that election.

[Martin]

When we bought our house, it was a foreclosure and owned by the bank. The utilities were all working when we looked at the house.

interesting... could it be possible that the previous owners were current on their utilities when they vacated the property and that you looked at the home before enough time had passed for them to have been cut off? i admit to not having any specific experience in this area but i'd imagine that the city would cut water service some time prior to 9 months of non-payment. -M

[PennyQuilts]

interesting... could it be possible that the previous owners were current on their utilities when they vacated the property and that you looked at the home before enough time had passed for them to have been cut off? i admit to not having any specific experience in this area but i'd imagine that the city would cut water service some time prior to 9 months of non-payment. -M

Now that I think about it, if the bank has it, they keep the utilites on, I think. I know we had to keep them on when we listed with a realtor.

[Martin]

Now that I think about it, if the bank has it, they keep the utilites on, I think.

hmmm... i was under the impression that they would let them lapse. maybe it depends on the circumstances. with a realtor, you'd certainly keep the utilities on... it helps the house to show well and is less of a pain for when your buyer moves in. -M

[PennyQuilts]

hmmm... i was under the impression that they would let them lapse. maybe it depends on the circumstances. with a realtor, you'd certainly keep the utilities on... it helps the house to show well and is less of a pain for when your buyer moves in. -M

Bank isn't going to want frozen pipes on a foreclosed home. Dunno - anyone?

[Martin]

ok... out of curiousity i called my mom who happens to be a realtor to get the skinny on foreclosed property and utilities.

given the time it takes to foreclose on a house and the details presented, it'd be unlikely that the forclosure would occur before the utilities are turned off. a bank can't do anything until after foreclosure since it doesn't own the property until that point. once a bank completes the foreclose process, they typically turn on gas and electric but instead of turning on water, they typically winterize the plumbing so that the pipes don't freeze... therefore it'd be odd for the water to be on in this instance. if the house has been foreclosed upon, there should be a notice posted on a front window of the property. also, a bank will typically have a house cleaned out upon foreclosure including the removal of any furniture.

long story short... somebody has got to be paying those utility bills.

-M

[easternobserver]

Check the register of deeds records on the county clerk's website, the tax records on the treasurer's website, and the ownership records on the assessor's website. Also run the names on OSCN. If it is a foreclosure, you are likely to find it that way.