Hartland area family recovering from devastating fire has home broken into

DEERFIELD TWP. — A family forced from their home and home-based business earlier this month because of a devastating fire were victims of a robbery this week.

AJ Rowe went to check on his family's fire-damaged Deerfield Township home on Wednesday.

The front door was pried open and windows on a door to a barn were smashed, items were stolen and a vehicle was damaged.

The Rowe family, which owns and operates Rustic Marine, a homebased woodworking and home décor business on their property, has been displaced from their farm since March 13. A fire at about 3 a.m. destroyed nearly everything in the home. AJ and his wife Lindsay, and six of their seven children, ages 2-13, were sleeping there that night. The family escaped, but several suffered injuries and smoke inhalation. They all had to be hospitalized, at least briefly. The family's two dogs died in the fire.

RELATED: A puppy, place to stay after fire: Rustic Marine family paying it forward

"It was obvious they had been through every inch of the house, the garage and even the basement," Lindsay Rowe said Friday about the incident.

Michigan State Police Public Information Officer Lt. Rene Gonzalez said police are investigating the incident as a breaking and entering.

"At this time, there is no suspect," Gonzalez told Livingston Daily Friday morning.

"We brought out an evidence tech to see if they could lift any fingerprints, footprint impressions," he said, adding that police interviewed neighbors.

He said he does not know what the evidence search may have turned up.

"To me, we have barely anything left," Lindsay Rowe said. "I don't even care at this point about what we have left, but the fact somebody would do that."

She said she believes a thief or thieves broke in sometime Tuesday night or in the early morning hours Wednesday.

She said the front door was broken, which had been padlocked after the fire. A brick was also thrown through the glass on a barn door, and smashed windows on their Chevrolet Suburban, which they left in the garage while their insurance company assesses damages.

She posted several photos of damages from the break-in on social media, including one showing an upstairs bedroom window left open.

"My guess is they were tossing items out of the window to someone below," she said. "Someone was going through my bedroom, and the few items I have in my nightstand drawers. It just didn't feel good."

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Rustic Marine operates out of a shed on their property. The business supports other small veteran-owned vendors by selling their wares at no commission and hosting seasonal markets. AJ Rowe is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

Lindsay Rowe said it did not appear thieves broke into the shed.

"Luckily, we'd almost sold out of everything at Christmas time. I removed everything that was left," she said. "The shed did not appear to be broken into. It was closed for the winter season anyway."

Social media: A double-edged sword

Word of the family's escape from the fire spread on social media, with Lindsay Rowe posting updates from the hospital on the family's harrowing experience and condition. The family escaped out of second floor windows, as thick, black smoke filled the home.

After the fire, Kasey Kasprzak, a friend who owns Tanner's Trove in Genoa Township, set up a GoFundMe online fundraiser for the Rowes, which had raised more than $169,000 as of Friday.

Brighton automobile dealer John Cueter loaned them a house and pickup truck. And last week, Cueter surprised the family with yet another gift: a puppy named Joanie that will help fill a hole left by the loss of the family's pets, a German shepherd and a mix breed they had rescued from the side of the road.

Several businesses, organizations and schools have organized fundraisers and donation drives.

"I still believe in the good and the power of social media," Lindsay Rowe said. "Without people knowing our story, we would be 10 steps behind where we are."

The Rowes are planning to "pay it forward" by organizing a family-friendly fire safety event in collaboration with the Hartland Deerfield Fire Authority on May 20. Details are still being worked out.

"I want to thank everybody in the community that’s been so good to us, and for those who have bad intentions, just leave us be and let us rebuild," Lindsay Rowe said.

A bad idea

She said the house is now under "24/7" surveillance. It is also not safe to enter as there is very little left in the house.

"It’s not worth going to," she said. "The house is dangerous. The floors are caving in more and more everyday. There is nothing in the house that is worth going into it. We don't even go upstairs anymore, because it's not safe."

Gonzalez said police investigate a lot of break ins.

"Breaking and enterings are common in any county. You get those. We deal with a lot of them," he said.

"We suggest to homeowners, have a Ring camera or any type of surveillance cameras," and lock doors and windows, he said. "Make sure your car doors are locked and don't leave valuables out in the open."

What's next for the family?

She said the family is recovering physically from smoke inhalation. Broken bones are healing. However, their youngest children have been suffering nightmares after the fire.

"Over the next week or so we’ll determine exactly what was stolen. We had just finished inventory for insurance, so we know exactly what was left in the house," she said.

She said the family plans to be back on the farm within weeks. They plan to set up temporary housing on the property. The break in sped up their plans to return.

"We already wanted to be back there, but now we have to get back there ASAP," she said.

Contact Livingston Daily reporter Jennifer Eberbach at jeberbach@livingstondaily.com. 

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Thieves break into Hartland area family's home after devastating fire