GROSSE POINTE (WWJ) -- A man who allegedly searched obituaries to find unoccupied Detroit-area homes to rob is facing charges in four cases.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office has filed breaking and entering charges against 44-year old Jerry Ashley of Detroit for alleged burglaries in January and February in Grosse Pointe and Grosse Pointe Woods.
Investigators say Ashley pretended to do yard work at three of the homes before breaking in and stealing jewelry and other items.
The WCOP, which announced its case against Ashley on Friday, said the crimes took place at the following dates. at these locations:
• January 18, 2024 – Grosse Pointe City; Home in the 600 Block of Rivard Street — a break-in, with multiple items stolen
• February 8, 2024 – Grosse Pointe Woods; Home in the 500 Block of North Brys Street — a break-in. with multiple pieces of jewelry stolen
• February 9, 2024 – Grosse Pointe Woods; Home in the 500 Block of Coventry Lane — a break-in
• February 27, 2024 – Grosse Pointe Woods; Home in the 2000 block of Anita Road — a break-in
Said Prosecutor Kym Worthy, in a statement: "It is alleged that Defendant Ashley sought out homes of the deceased and broke in and took valuable items. He did this at a very sad and vulnerable time for most families. It’s unfortunate, but we must be vigilant about this issue. Thanks to the great police work of the Grosse Pointe City and Grosse Pointe Woods Police Departments he has been arrested and charged.
Ashley has been arraigned in both the Grosse Pointe City and Grosse Pointe Woods cases, and ordered held on a $250,000 bond for each. He is scheduled to again appear before a judge next week.
"Law enforcement is often a collaborative effort, and this is a perfect example of that. The detectives from Grosse Pointe Woods and Grosse Pointe City were on top of this case and received additional support from detectives in Grosse Pointe Farms and the patrol divisions throughout the Grosse Pointes. These departments worked together to stop this thief,” said Grosse Pointe City Police Chief John Alcorn, in a news release.
"This was an extraordinary effort from our detectives working around the clock with assistance from other departments to bring this person to justice,” added Grosse Pointe Woods Police Chief John Kosanke.
These charges come as the Michigan Attorney General's Office has been warning the public about these so-called "obituary pirates."
AG Dana Nessel’s office said scammers use details about the deceased that are shared online can “easily be gathered by criminals to purchase even more personal data” from the dark web. That includes the deceased person’s address, social security number and more.