Murder suspects impersonated DTE workers to break into Oakland County home: What to know

ROCHESTER HILLS, Michigan. – Investigators have released doorbell camera footage of one of the men posing as a DTE worker to gain access to a Rochester Hills home where a man was killed and his wife was tied up.

On Friday, October 11, 2024, Oakland County Sheriff’s Office officers were called to a home in the 3700 block of Newcastle Drive. The 72-year-old woman had been tied up and her hands were taped. She called 911 and when deputies arrived she told them she believed her husband might have been kidnapped.

Police have identified her husband as 72-year-old Hussein Murray. While searching the house, officers found Murray’s body in the basement. Due to the extent of the injuries, officers said the cause of death was not immediately clear.

The woman told deputies two men had come to the home around 10 p.m. Thursday and said there was a gas leak, but they weren’t allowed inside.

They returned on Friday and were allowed into the house, Murray led them into the basement.

“They came back this morning with the same thing, they said there was a gas leak,” Oakland County Sheriff Micahel Bouchard said. “They were allowed into the house. The husband went into the basement with them where the gas goes into the house and the wife never saw him again, never saw him come up.”

When the two men returned from the basement, they tied the woman up with duct tape and then spent at least 20 minutes searching the house, according to police. It’s unclear what, if anything, was taken.

The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with a security camera or video from 8 p.m. Thursday to noon Friday to share that footage with investigators. They are looking for two men who were driving a white pickup truck with orange cones in the bed of the truck.

One of the men was described as thin and the other as thick.

“They had a banner on the side of a white pick-up truck that they came back with, saying there was a gas leak. They were allowed into the house. The husband went into the basement with them where the gas goes into the home and the woman never saw him again,” Bouchard said.

Bouchard said they don’t know why the house was targeted, but that Murray owned a business.

“A lot of times when people are small business owners, they become a target for assets or cash that they can sometimes take home,” Bouchard said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest. Informants will remain anonymous.

—> Read: Business owner dead, woman taped up by fake DTE workers at Oakland County home

How to verify a worker’s identity with DTE Energy

If a DTE Energy worker comes to your home, you should ask for a photo ID badge. You can call DTE Energy at 800-477-4747 to verify your identity.

DTE Energy issued the following warning to customers:

“If someone comes to your home or business claiming to be from DTE, ask to see a badge with photo ID. If the person refuses to show their badge, don’t let them in.

“If you want to verify the identity of a worker or confirm that a vehicle is an authorized company vehicle, call DTE immediately at 800-477-4747. If the person is agitated or acting strangely, insisting let her in, call 911.”