AFFTON, MO (KTVI-FOX2now.com) -
A pillow case burglar broke into more than a dozen St. Louis County homes in the same neighborhood, all in the month of November, all during afternoon hours, police said Tuesday. Witnesses reported seeing a man carrying a pillow case and getting into a teal green, Ford Escort, recently, near the intersection of Niles and Fayette, just off of Gravois Road in Affton; a woman was driving.
Burglary victims noticed they were missing pillow cases, plus a whole lot more.
"It's scary," said burglary victim, Jennifer Fauss.
Nights had become frightening, the days even more so.
"It's broad daylight and he was trying to break in through our front door," Fauss said, pointing to her damaged door. "There's marks where he tried to pry it open. We have 4 other doors going to the outside. He tried every single door until eventually he was successful."
The burglar got into her home through a back door and went straight for the pillows in the bedroom.
"Took off the pillow cases and just started filling them up," Fauss said.
The burglar took the laptop computer and digital camera from her desk, her jewelry, even the HDTV, too big for the pillow cases.
"Very hasty," she said. "He forgot the remote. I don't even know honestly, if he took the power cord to the TV.
A few days later, someone tried to break into Matthew Martin's house on the other side of Gravois, with no luck. His metal rear door, stopped the burglar.
"They were prying at it pretty good," Martin said, pointing at his damaged door, bearing the same marks as Fauss's. "Looks like a screw driver or pry bar or something."
St. Louis County Police reported 13 break-ins within the same ½ mile radius in Affton, just outside the St. Louis City limits, in November. Police urged residents to lock up their houses as tightly as possible and be extra vigilant for people they don't recognize knocking on doors during the afternoon.
"They're going to keep going," Martin said. "Luckily they didn't get in."
"I don't want them to break into someone's house where they don't think anyone's home and someone is and someone ends up getting hurt," Fauss said. "I feel like I just don't feel safe in [my home] anymore."
St. Louis County Police said the same burglar could be targeting city neighborhoods, too. County investigators were working with city police to see if they were similar cases in neighborhoods just across city-county line.
If you have any information, call St. Louis County Police.
Burglary victims noticed they were missing pillow cases, plus a whole lot more.
"It's scary," said burglary victim, Jennifer Fauss.
Nights had become frightening, the days even more so.
"It's broad daylight and he was trying to break in through our front door," Fauss said, pointing to her damaged door. "There's marks where he tried to pry it open. We have 4 other doors going to the outside. He tried every single door until eventually he was successful."
The burglar got into her home through a back door and went straight for the pillows in the bedroom.
"Took off the pillow cases and just started filling them up," Fauss said.
The burglar took the laptop computer and digital camera from her desk, her jewelry, even the HDTV, too big for the pillow cases.
"Very hasty," she said. "He forgot the remote. I don't even know honestly, if he took the power cord to the TV.
A few days later, someone tried to break into Matthew Martin's house on the other side of Gravois, with no luck. His metal rear door, stopped the burglar.
"They were prying at it pretty good," Martin said, pointing at his damaged door, bearing the same marks as Fauss's. "Looks like a screw driver or pry bar or something."
St. Louis County Police reported 13 break-ins within the same ½ mile radius in Affton, just outside the St. Louis City limits, in November. Police urged residents to lock up their houses as tightly as possible and be extra vigilant for people they don't recognize knocking on doors during the afternoon.
"They're going to keep going," Martin said. "Luckily they didn't get in."
"I don't want them to break into someone's house where they don't think anyone's home and someone is and someone ends up getting hurt," Fauss said. "I feel like I just don't feel safe in [my home] anymore."
St. Louis County Police said the same burglar could be targeting city neighborhoods, too. County investigators were working with city police to see if they were similar cases in neighborhoods just across city-county line.
If you have any information, call St. Louis County Police.
