ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich – A business owner was murdered and his wife was taped up by fake DTE Energy employees who were allowed into the couple’s Oakland County home.

Officers from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office were called to a home on Newcastle Drive in Rochester Hills just before noon on Friday, October 11, 2024.

Fake DTE Energy workers

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said two fake DTE Energy employees went to the home and claimed they were checking for a gas leak.

The home is owned by a 72-year-old Wayne County business owner and his wife.

The woman said the men first came to her home at 10pm on Thursday but were not allowed to enter.

But when they resurfaced Friday, the couple let the men in, Bouchard said.

“They came back this morning with the same thing and said there was a gas leak,” Bouchard said. “They were allowed to enter the house. The man went with them into the basement where the gas comes into the house, and the woman never saw him again – never saw him come up again.”

Husband killed, wife taped up

When the fake workers returned from the basement, they bound the woman with duct tape and spent at least 20 minutes searching the house, police said.

It’s unclear what, if anything, was stolen.

When officers arrived at the home, they found the woman still bound with duct tape and the man dead in the basement.

“We are not sure of the exact cause of death,” Bouchard said. “Honestly, because there was so much blood, we’re not sure.”

The woman was taken to a nearby hospital. Bouchard said she was traumatized.

Looking for 2 men

Bouchard said police were combing the neighborhood looking for the two men.

One is described as thin, the other as strong.

They were driving a white pickup truck with a DTE sign on the side, Bouchard said.

Early stages of the investigation

This investigation is still in its early stages and all information is preliminary, Bouchard said.

At the moment they don’t know why the house was targeted.

“When people are small business owners, they often become targets for assets or cash that they sometimes take home,” Bouchard said.

The case is being investigated as a murder.

Here is Bouchard’s full briefing: