Thursday, July 26 2012 6:48 PM EDT2012-07-26 22:48:04 GMT
Lanetta Murphy's minivan was stolen and then crushed. Now the man who took her vehicle to the scrap yard is coming forward. He says he was scammed, and he's determined to make this right for Murphy and her family.
Lanetta Murphy's minivan was stolen and then crushed. Now the man who took her vehicle to the scrap yard is coming forward. He says he was scammed, and he's determined to make this right for Murphy and her family.
DETROIT (WJBK) -
A woman's van is stolen and she is not getting it back the way she left it. That's because the van was crushed by a salvage yard.
Lanetta Murphy lives in Detroit, but works in Westland six days a week. She has to have a car to get around, and to see her once perfectly fine van just completely crushed and destroyed is just devastating.
"Took my whole income tax to even pay for the car, and I actually owed $233 more," said Murphy.
Her minivan wasn't much, but it got her where she needed to go. She only had it for two months when someone stole it, and the past two months with no vehicle have been an absolute nightmare.
"I have no way of getting around, and I'm just now depending on people just to even keep my job."
So when she got the call from Detroit Police saying they found her car, she was ecstatic, that is until she heard how they found it.
"After nine weeks of pain, of calling, and then you tell me it's crushed up."
Someone took Murphy's stolen van to Fritz Enterprises on Detroit's west side to be sold and crushed for a quick buck.
"They started to scrap it, and then he discovered it was stolen."
So they called police, but that was after they had already began crushing Murphy's van.
"I want to know how my car ended up at Fritz and how did you become about crushing it."
So did we, especially since, according to their sign, Fritz doesn't accept stolen vehicles, but employees weren't willing to give an explanation, just an order off the property. Meanwhile, every day that Murphy's van sits on an impound lot, she is being charged a fee, a fee she can't afford to pay, and she's demanding answers, but no one is talking.
"How you going not talk to me anymore, but you can accept my vehicle from somebody who stole it ... and scrapping it and to crush it and to have crushed it to give it back to me and tell me what? It wasn't even in an accident," said Murphy. "You just crushed my whole income tax and it's not fair."
Detroit Police are investigating. Whoever brought in the vehicle had to provide an I.D. and some paperwork. We're told Fritz Enterprises has turned that over to Detroit Police, so hopefully that will help them figure out what happened.
Monday, May 20 2013 11:08 PM EDT2013-05-21 03:08:56 GMT
A small dog was taken from a woman's car on Sunday. Now a woman claims she wasn't trying to steal the dog. She was trying to save its life because it was locked in a car on a hot day.
A small dog was taken from a woman's car on Sunday. Now a woman claims she wasn't trying to steal the dog. She was trying to save its life because it was locked in a car on a hot day.
Thursday, May 16 2013 9:04 PM EDT2013-05-17 01:04:18 GMT
13 people were shot in Detroit in just 24 hours, five from one block, including a woman who was just hours away from a kidney transplant. She did not survive.
13 people were shot in Detroit in just 24 hours, five from one block, including a woman who was just hours away from a kidney transplant. She did not survive.
Thursday, May 16 2013 8:23 PM EDT2013-05-17 00:23:43 GMT
54-year-old Almeter Walls was set to have a transplant surgery on Thursday, but instead she is dead. We're told she was shot when a neighborhood argument ended in gunfire. The shooting also left four others wounded.
54-year-old Almeter Walls was set to have a transplant surgery on Thursday, but instead she is dead. We're told she was shot when a neighborhood argument ended in gunfire. The shooting also left four others wounded.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 12:01 PM EDT2013-05-21 16:01:58 GMT
The American Red Cross is working in a variety of ways and from several different areas of the country to help the victims of the tornadoes which struck in the nation's heartland.
The American Red Cross is working in a variety of ways and from several different areas of the country to help the victims of the tornadoes which struck in the nation's heartland.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 11:48 AM EDT2013-05-21 15:48:16 GMT
Weather Authority Ben Bailey says the humidity has dropped since earlier this morning but the risk of severe weather still exists Tuesday throughout southeast Michigan.
Weather Authority Ben Bailey says the humidity has dropped since earlier this morning but the risk of severe weather still exists Tuesday throughout southeast Michigan.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 11:31 AM EDT2013-05-21 15:31:20 GMT
As people struggle to pick up the pieces in the areas of Oklahoma ravaged by tornadoes, we've learned some relief will be coming from right here in Michigan.
As people struggle to pick up the pieces in the areas of Oklahoma ravaged by tornadoes, we've learned some relief will be coming from right here in Michigan.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 9:50 AM EDT2013-05-21 13:50:04 GMT
Find out how you can help the victims of Monday's deadly tornado that ripped through the Oklahoma City suburbs, killing dozens and flattening neighborhoods, schools and businesses.
Find out how you can help the victims of Monday's deadly tornado that ripped through the Oklahoma City suburbs, killing dozens and flattening neighborhoods, schools and businesses.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 7:43 AM EDT2013-05-21 11:43:15 GMT
Gustav Nyquist and Drew Miller scored 31 seconds apart midway through a previously scoreless game, helping the Red Wings beat the Blackhawks 3-1 on Monday night for a 2-1 series lead.
Gustav Nyquist and Drew Miller scored 31 seconds apart midway through a previously scoreless game, helping the Red Wings beat the Blackhawks 3-1 on Monday night for a 2-1 series lead.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 7:35 AM EDT2013-05-21 11:35:00 GMT
Police say a 55-year-old woman is dead and two men are wounded following a shooting at a vacant Detroit residence believed to have been used for drug activity.
Police say a 55-year-old woman is dead and two men are wounded following a shooting at a vacant Detroit residence believed to have been used for drug activity.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 7:23 AM EDT2013-05-21 11:23:29 GMT
Basehunters, a storm chasing team from Norman, Okla., captured over three minutes worth of video showing Monday's deadly monster tornado that roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs.
Basehunters, a storm chasing team from Norman, Okla., captured over three minutes worth of video showing Monday's deadly monster tornado that roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs.
Lanetta Murphy's stolen van was crushed by a salvage yard. (Credit: WJBK | myFOXDetroit.com)
