*UPDATE* – Venus Stewart’s estranged husband, Douglas Stewart, is officially charged with her murder even though officials do not have her body. He was arrainged yesterday and a preliminary hearing is set for July 1, 2010. More to come on this case…
Venus Stewart (left) Douglas Stewart (right)
Domestic violence is a vicious cycle, a cycle that many victims cannot pull themselves out of because of children, their safety, or just plain fear of being alone. It appears Venus Stewart was pulling herself out of a violent relationship. She packed up her children and moved to Michigan to get away from her husband, and now she is missing. Lt. Risko with the Michigan State Police says Venus was snatched from the front yard of her parents’ home on April 26, 2010 as she went to mail a letter.
Her husband, Doug Stewart, denies any wrongdoing. He initially provided an alibi, which is not solid, and investigators consider him the only person of interest. In a bizarre twist this week, Lt. Risko told me today he believes there was an impersonator running around pretending to be Doug Stewart in his hometown of Newport News, Virginia. The same hometown Doug Stewart claimed to be inthe morning his estranged wife vanished.
Stacey Peterson and Lisa Stebic have a lot in common, although the women have never met. Both are mothers to young children, both live in Illinois, and both have been missing for more than a couple of years. It’s the same sad story with missing mom Susan Powell who vanished late last year in Utah, and Venus Stewart who was abducted outside her parents’ home in late April in Michigan. In both cases, their husbands are persons of interest in the disappearances, and in all of these cases the husbands claim they have no clue where their wives could be. Every time I hear about a new case, and a mother vanishes, I flash back to each one of these women. Every so often a new tip or search will bring one of their cases to the spotlight, and the public its on the edge of their seats to see if the lead will pan out. That was the case this past weekend. Investigators in Illinois were acting on information that Stacy Peterson’s body was buried in a muddy, thickly wooded, private farmland in Peoria, Illinois.
Domestic violence is a vicious cycle, a cycle that many victims cannot pull themselves out of because of children, their safety, or just plain fear of being alone. It appears Venus Stewart was pulling herself out of a violent relationship. She packed up her children and moved to Michigan to get away from her husband, and now she is missing. Lt. Risko with the Michigan State Police says Venus was snatched from the front yard of her parents’ home on April 26, 2010 as she went to mail a letter.
Domestic violence is a vicious cycle, a cycle that many victims cannot pull themselves out of because of children, their safety, or just plain fear of being alone. It appears Venus Stewart was pulling herself out of a violent relationship. She packed up her children and moved to Michigan to get away from her husband, and now she is missing.
Recent court records show Venus Stewart feared her husband so much that she filed three orders of protection against him over the course of their marriage. In court documents Venus writes, “I am scared to death and every day I live in constant fear and I am constantly looking over my shoulder wondering when he will appear again.” Venus and her husband Douglas Stewart were married in 2002 and lived in Newport Beach, Virginia. In February 2010, Venus packed up her children and moved with her family to Michigan. This is a bold move for any victim of violence because the attacker no longer has control.
Michelle Sigona is a crime fighting, victims advocate extraordinaire, but for Michelle -- the good fight doesn't stop there. In her spare time, she is a volunteer firefighter -- and now, she is tackling the issues and cases that mean the most to her....
