Karen E. Laine might not quite be a household name, but that's because, to fans of HGTV's Good Bones, she's just known as Karen, half of the mother / daughter duo who make their living brightening up several neighborhoods in Indianapolis by renovating abandoned homes. Because of her day job, Laine is quite used to stepping into some unbelievably shabby situations, but she hasn't had to deal with her own home being in such a state until recently. Laine is now reporting that her house has been burglarized, and that the culprit stopped their thieving long enough to poop in her garage before leaving.
Here's what happened. Karen E. Laine spoke with Fox 8 in Indianapolis recently, and talked about the rash of burglaries she's experienced at her home, which fans saw updated on Good Bones. The latest incident occurred a couple of weekends ago, with someone entering her home, stealing a few things and then leaving a very nasty and unsanitary surprise in Laine's garage. In her words:
Last Saturday someone came in, stole more things, and pooped in the garage. It’s sort of an epithet to say I poop on you. It seems very personal and intentional. So they know we have a bathroom. That’s what makes it feel personal because it’s not, ‘Oh, I need to go to the bathroom.’ It’s I’m going to leave my feces behind for you to clean up.
Man, I can't imagine doing this or having this done to my property, so this must be a very scary time for Karen E. Laine. This latest break-in happened on the same day that Laine's youngest daughter got married, meaning she and her family should have been able to spend the night happily relaxing in peace. Unfortunately, the culprit managed to get in as Laine and her family were sleeping that night, getting in through a back gate before entering the garage. On top of leaving behind the disgusting disappointment, the burglar also got away with Laine's purse, with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department report noting that her credit cards were then used at several locations in the area.
As mentioned earlier, this isn't even the very first such event at her home. Karen E. Laine detailed two other recent break-ins, with the second one leading to her husband's bike being stolen, along with that suspect pooping in a bucket in the garage. Laine added that her home actually has a working bathroom in the garage, which the suspect did rummage around in, and this is one reason why the defecation feels like a personal attack to Laine.
While there's no word from the investigation yet on whether or not Laine is being targeted for a specific reason, it's easy to understand why she feels that way. And, even though we've heard a lot from her on Good Bones when it comes to renovating houses, creating new treasures from found trash, and even her family, one thing I don't believe Laine has ever talked about on the show is her status as a former deputy prosecutor, meaning that she has been able to work with police very effectively to try and find out who's been breaking in to her home and leaving some true filth behind.
As she noted in her interview:
Probably not the house you want to burglarize because I was immediately on the case! I found out where my credit cards were used, I got it to law enforcement. I said you need a warrant today to get an address on this. [The investigator] was able to recover video, so we may have people on video.
And, it turns out that pooping in Laine's garage may have been one of the biggest mistakes the criminal (or criminals) made, because she also said that the police are, in fact, analyzing the samples to see if the DNA matches any they have in the system. So, it sounds like Laine will be able to put this fecal affliction behind her before too much longer.
Good Bones wrapped Season 5 at the end of August, but you can still catch episodes on HGTV, so be sure to check listings. You can also stream episodes on Hulu, but for more to watch in the coming weeks, check out our guide to fall TV, and see what the small screen will bring at the beginning of the new year!
