Grosse Pointe Woods Police Ask for Help Identifying Men in Home Invasion

The home earlier this month were able to provide enough detail about the robbers for a Michigan State Police sketch artist to complete composite drawings.

police released the drawings Tuesday of two of the three men who tricked and distracted the couple Nov. 18 and stole about $15,000 worth of jewelry.

Detective Anthony Chalut said leads are being investigated and he is hopeful the sketches will help identify the men. The case, at this point, seems to be isolated as no similar crimes have been reported in the Woods or any neighboring or nearby communities, he said.

The couple, in their 80s, were able to describe in detail two of the three men to Michigan State Police Sketch Artist Sarah Krebs. Neither of them got a good look at the third man, Chalut said, explaining why there are two sketches instead of three.

The men were described as hispanic and in their 30s. One was about 5-foot-11 with a medium build and wore dark clothes. Another was 6-foot-2 with a heavy build and wore dark work clothes. The third was 5-foot-9 with a thin build, a beard and wore a tan work coat.

One of the men knocked on the front door of the couple's home, told the female homeowner the he was there to check her water pressure. She refused to let him in at first but then changed her mind after she saw that her husband had returned from the store and was talking with another man--leading her to believe it was ok for the first man to enter the home.

The other man distracted the husband in the backyard discussing tree roots while the first man entered the home. He went to the kitchen and turned on the faucet, telling the woman she should return to watching her television show as it would take several minutes. Then he and another man entered the couple's bedroom and left quickly.

The woman saw them leave her bedroom after going to find them because she became suspicious and found that the jewelry had been stolen after they left.

Anyone with information, including the possible identities of the men in the sketches, is asked to call Grosse Pointe Woods Police at 313-343-2400. Anonymous tips are always accepted by Crime Stoppers too, Chalut said. Call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-773-2587.