Neighbors Who See Stabbing Kick Ass
Douglas Stewart Used Impostor to Derail Cops in Disappearance of Wife Venus Stewart
Thursday, June 24, 2010 at 11:43 am
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| Venus Stewart went out to put something in the mail early in the morning on April 26. She hasn't been seen since. |
The little girl had accused her dad of sexual assault, though Virginia investigators found no evidence to back it up. But now it seems that Venus had very good reasons to be scared.
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| Police say Douglas Stewart used an impostor to make them think he was in Virginia at the time his wife went missing |
But there was one problem. Douglas, it seems, had a concrete alibi. He was seen by multiple people in Virginia at the time of the abduction. Police, however, seem to instinctively know that something wasn't right about his story.
Last week, they found he'd shopped at a Wal-Mart in Ohio near the time of his wife's kidnapping. And his purchases were just the kinds of things you'd buy if you planned to bury a body.
Now police in Michigan say that have proof that he was in the area and the time of his wife's disappearance. They're not saying what that evidence is, but they are implying that Douglas got an impostor to create an alibi that he was in Virginia at the time.
Detectives say a man fitting Stewart's description went to his lawyer's office in Newport News to make a payment on his legal bill. But the employees he paid had never seen the real Douglas Stewart before, and the man posing as him was wearing sunglasses, a hoodie and a baseball cap to conceal his appearance.
Police say the impostor made multiple, conspicuous appearances during the time Venus went missing. Detectives in Newport News won't say what they know about the impostor -- or if they even know who he is -- but they seem dead certain that Douglas Stewart's alibi is fraudulent.
UPDATE: Police have arrested Douglas Stewart for kidnapping and murder.
Her body has yet to be found, but prosecutors in Michigan appear to believe Venus is dead, and have charged her husband. Police aren't elaborating much on their case, but they seem certain that Douglas lured her from the home, then kidnapped and killed his wife.
They know he was in Michigan at the time of the murder. They have also found the man who served as his impostor in Virginia to make it appear as if Douglas never left the state. Detectives say Richard Spencer began conspiring with Douglas in early April to abduct Venus. They're not saying why Spencer was involved, but he has been cooperative.
Detectives further found blood inside the truck Douglas was driving, though they're not revealing the laboratory analysis of that blood.
In a separate case, prosecutors have also charged Douglas with molesting one of his daughters. When the molestation charges were originally raised in Virginia, child service workers said they didn't have enough evidence to make the call. But the same officials in Michigan have found the girl's statements credible and have charged him with being a perv.
For more details, see our original story: Mom Missing in Michigan, Estranged Husband a Suspect.
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