KENTWOOD, Mich.– Kentwood Police have released more details about the timeline of events in a double homicide that took place in Kentwood over the weekend.
David Bouwman, 81, and his wife Vivian, 80, were found shot to death in their home off Stowevalley in Kentwood on Saturday morning after a home invasion.
Friday at 6:45 p.m., Kentwood Police Chief Tom Hillen said a family member was the last person to make contact with the couple by telephone.
Friday around 3 .a.m., neighbors at Princeton Estates reported hearing dogs barking and loud bangs that sounded like fireworks.
On Saturday at 9:30 a.m. people at the Arbor Parks Apartments off Madison Avenue in Wyoming called 911 after seeing a Cadillac outside their complex that was bursting in flames.
After firefighters put out the flames, Wyoming police determined the vehicle belonged to David and Vivian Bouwman from Kentwood and informed Kentwood Police.
On Saturday at about 10:30 a.m., Kentwood Police went to the couple’s address off Stowevalley in the Princeton Estates neighborhood in Kentwood to check on the couple. Nobody was home.
“Officers went over there and got no response,” said Hillen “In the meantime a call came in about a possible break-in from neighbors.”
On Saturday at about 11 a.m., Kentwood investigators return to the neighborhood and track footprints in the snow that lead to several homes, including David and Vivian’s. There, they found a back window of the home had been shattered.
Police then discovered the couple inside. They were killed from apparent gunshot wounds. Investigators believe the suspect or suspects shot them during a home invasion and then stole their Cadillac, which was found torched and abandoned four miles away.
“Somebody had to see somebody leaving that car,” said Hillen.
Kentwood Police are working around-the-clock to follow up on leads. They are also working with the Kent County Sheriff’s Forensic team to process DNA evidence found at the scene.
“We did find blood at the home, but we don’t want to speculate who that belonged to,” said Hillen.
The burned vehicle has also been taken in for evidence.
“We have everyone in our department working on this,” said Hillen.
