Family terrorized by three burglaries, one at gunpoint

A family terrorized by three burglaries, one involving three masked men and guns pointed to the head of a four-year-old, is certain the culprit is their close relative.

Cordella Naert, a woman living with three of her children in their house at Vermont, spoke to SEARCHLIGHT last Friday about the series of burglaries that their family has had to endure within a short space of time.

The first burglary, which took place on December 16, was, all things considered, tame as compared to ones that followed.

A businesswoman, Naert recounted that she had left her house that Saturday to sell things at seven in the morning, and returned at 7:30 at night, at which time her house had already been burglarized.

“The Saturday night I didn’t really notice that my house was broken into until Sunday morning; then I realized some stuff which was missing,” she said.

According to Naert, in that first burglary, she lost thousands of dollars worth of items, adding that she had not realized her house had been broken into, because the person had used a key. This made her suspect a close family member.

A mere three days later, the investigation into the first burglary not even fully begun, her house was broken into a second time, this time posing a life-threatening situation.

At around 1:30 in the morning, Naert said three skull masked, hooded and armed men twisted the aluminium on her back door to gain entry to her house.

“So, they came inside that door and they come upstairs, and they steal my kids first.”

She said they passed her bedroom and got a hold of her two older children, who are seven and 13.

“The bigger one, she realized somebody lift she up in she sleep, but she didn’t, she think it was me; when she realize it wasn’t me, she slip way from the person and ran,” said Naert, adding that the girl was caught soon after.

Naert stated that during this time, she had no idea what was happening as she was asleep. One by one the intruders apparently took her children to the downstairs of her two-storey house, taped them up and pointed guns at their heads.

Following this, the three wanted to get to Naert herself.

“When they finish now, they try to get to me, but my door was locked, so they figure they can’t get to me, so they unloose my four-year-old and lift she up, bring she upstairs. They tell she before, when you reach upstairs, knock on your mommy door and tell she your belly is hurting you.”

However, afraid for her mother’s life, the four-year-old did not obey and instead they pointed the gun at her head, making her afraid enough to start crying.

“I hear she voice and as soon as I open the door, there was a gun to my face and it’s lucky I didn’t make any move, because after that guy come inside my room now, that one that was sticking me up; another one come inside with my child, going with a gun to she head,” the distressed mother recounted.

Unwilling to move without seeing her other children, Naert was escorted downstairs, where she was met with a scene wherein her other two children were taped, with handguns pointed at them. Saying that they seemed to know exactly where to go, the men led Naert to the safe in her house and forced her to open it for them, retrieving more than $20,000 from it.

The three then took some liquor before making their escape, one of them stopping to apologize, forgetting a jar of coins and returning to pick it up.

The 13-year-old then bit the tape off her hand and cut the others free. The police were called, but no transport was available at the Vermont Police Station and the gunmen were not caught.

A third burglary occurred at a house her husband has in Union recently Naert said.

“One of the suspects now was caught a couple days ago trying to enter my husband property in Union, so he catch the boat and go down to Union, I have no clue for what.”

Naert said her husband was able to catch this intruder red-handed this time.

The Vermont resident believes the close relative she thinks is responsible for the first burglary, to be the mastermind of the second, saying the intruders had ‘good information’ on how to get around her house.

She says this family member does not have a job, but was shopping for the entire Christmas season and was seen giving out liquor on the Questelles block.

“He never want to work. He’s a loser,” she explained.

Her daughters are still traumatized and not able to sleep in their beds, Naert stated, when asked what she wanted to see happen: “I want to see the guys dem get arrested.”

The Police Public Relations Department confirmed yesterday that investigations into the two reports of burglary at the Vermont home of Cordella Naert are ongoing.(KR)