VENUS ROSE STEWART TIMELINE
2002: Venus Rose McComb and Douglas Harrie Stewart
marry.
2007 through 2009: Venus Stewart and Douglas Harrie Stewart's marriage is
marred by mutual allegations of violence and multiple divorce filings from both parties.
2009: Venus and Douglas Stewart move from Schoolcraft, Michigan, to eastern Virginia.
February 2010: Venus Stewart and her two daughters, age 3 and 5, move back to Michigan, where they live with her parents, Therese and Larry McComb, in Colon Township. Back in Michigan, Venus Stewart files for a protective order in St. Joseph County. Court documents reveal that this latest move was
sparked by an investigation into the alleged sexual abuse of their 5-year-old daughter, which concluded that at the time there was insufficient evidence to charge Douglas Stewart with sexual molestation of the couple's daughter.
February - April 2010: Venus Stewart
writes notes detailing the alleged sexual abuse of her daughter by her husband. Also, according to her father, Venus
wrote out a will days before she disappeared, because she was concerned that her husband would harm her.
Monday - April 19, 2010: Venus Stewart is
granted temporary custody of the couple’s two daughters by Judge William Welty in St. Joseph County District Court.
Monday - 7:10 AM - 8:30 AM- 26 April 2010: Venus Stewart
is abducted between 7:10 and 8:3a.m. Monday outside her parent’s home in the 55000 block of Driftwood Drive in Colon Township while walking to her parents' mailbox to post a letter. Police immediately
name her estranged husband, Douglas Harrie Stewart, as the person of interest in the abduction and begin a
multi-state manhunt to find him. According to Lt. Mike Risko of the MSP, "There is evidence that
there was a struggle. We do not believe she left of her own free will."
Monday - "late night" - 26 April 2010: Douglas Harrie Stewart, Venus's estranged husband, is
located at his residence in Newport News, Virginia. Police continue to
attempt to locate two vehicles associated with Doug Stewart: a 1998 silver Mercury sedan and a 2005 silver Dodge Ram extended-cab pick-up. Despite locating Douglas Stewart, police
have yet to find the car or pickup truck.
Wednesday - 28 April 2010: Douglas Stewart refuses to answer questions by investigators or the media and
refers all contact to his attorney,
Jeffrey M. Schroder of Portage, Michigan. Lt. Mike Risko says
all investigators' contact with Doug Stewart is through his lawyer. Newport News police
locate the Dodge Ram truck at Doug Stewart's apartment building's parking lot.
Friday - 30 April 2010: Michigan State Police troopers and sheriff’s deputies
began searching near Adams Lake and Oak Leaf Trail, approximately a mile from the McCombs' residence from which Venus Stewart was abducted, after receiving a tip, State Police Lt. Mike Risko said. Risko said the tip that police acted on Friday was information that a person saw a man near the shoreline of Adams Lake within the time frame that Venus Stewart is believed to have been taken. “It’s one of the few tips we’ve got so we’re going to act on it,” Risko said. “At this stage of the game, I don’t think we can let anything slide." The Michigan State Police and the Sheriff's Department canvassed the area on foot but
didn't find anything.
Monday - 3 May 2010: Media report that the two vehicles associated with Douglas Stewart for which police have been searching
have been located in Virginia.
Tuesday - 4 May 2010: A neighbor of the McCombs says that
she spotted a pick-up truck in the area at the time of her disappearance,
about 7AM. She said that five minutes later, the truck was gone. The Michigan State Police crime lab compared photos of the tread on her husband’s trucks’ tires to the tire marks left at the scene in Michigan, and advised that the “
general tread pattern” was in agreement, but they needed the actual tires from Stewart’s truck for “more thorough, further analysis.”
Wednesday - 5 May 2010: Using side-scan sonar and divers, investigators
search Adams Lake but find no clues to Venus Stewart's disappearance. Investigators continue to state that Doug Stewart is the
sole person of interest in Venus Stewart's disappearance, despite having
what investigators say is a solid alibi. While the dive team conducted its search Wednesday, Lt. Mike Risko said that MSP crime lab personnel were flying to Virginia to
conduct searches of a Mercury sedan and Dodge Ram pickup truck that are both registered to Douglas Stewart. Police obtained search warrants for the vehicles, which were
seized today by Newport News police.
Contacted by the media on Wednesday, Doug Stewart makes the
following statement: "I still care about her very much, and to be told that you could be involved of something of this nature, it's repulsive. It makes me feel horrible, and now, that the timeline has gone so far ... I'm getting very worried and very concerned."
Thursday - 6 May 2010: 24 Hour News 8 obtained a
copy of the handwritten notes by Venus detailing her daughter's story. According to the documents, her daughter told Venus about the incident in February 2010 in which Doug Stewart allegedly had his eldest daughter touch him inappropriately. The notes were provided by Larry McComb, Venus' father, who said he stumbled across the papers in a drawer. February is when Venus left her husband, Douglas Stewart, and moved in with the McCombs in Colon Township, Larry McComb added.
Also on Thursday, police released a
sketch of a person with whom they would like to speak. Police state that the man is not a suspect. The sketch is based on several reports of a man near Adam's lake who approached people. Two people say they
encountered the man the night before Stewart disappeared. The witnesses said it was unusual, and the man was
disheveled and wet, as if he had been swimming. He asked the witnesses for a cigarette. “Some guy came out of the woods, out of nowhere,”
said Leana Powell, “came up behind me and asked, 'do you know where I am?'”
On Thursday, State Police Forensics Teams from Michigan
continue to inspect the two vehicles in the possession of Douglas Stewart. A copy of the search warrant says they want to test the Dodge Ram, which is
owned by Venus Stewart but has been in the possession of Doug Stewart, for dirt, plant material, or any other evidence that shows the truck was driven to Michigan recently. They are also
looking for blood, hair, a tarp, or other signs it may have been used for an abduction. They also want to compare tire treads on the Dodge Ram with plaster casts of tracks left in a field near the Colon Township home where Venus Stewart was staying with her parents. A woman who lives in the neighborhood says she saw a pickup, roughly matching the description of Stewart’s crew cab, parked in that field that morning, with a man crouching down behind it.
MSP Lt. Mike Risko says that Doug Stewart
continues to be uncooperative with investigators as of Thursday.
Friday - 8 May 2010: Police continue to state that they believe that Venus Stewart's husband Douglas Stewart abducted her from her parents Colon Township home.
On Nancy Grace Friday night, Larry McComb, Venus' father, states that investigators took into their possession a plastic tarp wrapper that was found in the driveway on the morning of Venus' disappearance. McComb is certain that the wrapper is not his and states that he believes that it fell out of the vehicle of the person who abducted his daughter. McComb and his wife Therese also claim that Doug Stewart will not tell them whether or not he was at work on the day that Venus disappeared, instead claiming that he has told police all details of his whereabouts on Monday, April 26. Police continue to assert that Doug Stewart is not cooperating with the investigation.
Dana Jones, who lives at River Park Apartments,
tells Newport News media that, earlier in the investigation of Venus Stewart's disappearance, Michigan State Police had visited the high-rise apartment building where Doug Stewart lives, causing a commotion unusual for the apartment residents. Kiara Roundtree, whose boyfriend lives in the apartment building, said, "I saw, like, cops lined up, and people were just staring, like, wondering what's going on. People that live on the ninth floor were saying they saw the cops on the ninth floor, like, kind of knocking on someone's door."
Monday - 10 May 2010: An apparent blood stain was found in Douglas Stewart's truck, the
Michigan State Police reported Monday afternoon. Police executed search warrants at Stewart's Newport News, Va. home, where he once lived with Venus Stewart, who has been missing since April 26. The chemical the Michigan State Police Department uses to detect blood read positive on a portion of the truck's interior. The material is now at a lab, being tested. Police also found a Wal-Mart receipt for a shovel, tarp, cap and gloves, they confirm. The receipt was from April 25 -- the day before Venus disappeared -- from a Wal-Mart in Ohio. Douglas Stewart's truck was parked on the street a few blocks from his complex, the Newport News police reported -- despite Stewart having two reserved parking spots in the structure at his apartment complex.
Tuesday - May 11, 2010: Doug Stewart
may have left Virginia and may be headed to Michigan. He has relatives in Michigan who live near Venus Stewart's parents. Fulton, MI, is Doug's home town where he was raised. Police continue to stay that Doug Stewart is the only person of interest in the disappearance of his wife.
Wednesday - May 12, 2010: MSP renews its
search effort for Venus Stewart. Lt. Mike Risko refuses to say where in St. Joseph County the search is being conducted--later reported that nothing found during the search. Risko says that Doug Stewart may be
back in Michigan, perhaps to transfer to the Detroit area for a job with US Food Services, with whom he is currently employed. Lt. Risko states that he does not expect blood test results from the stains in the vehicles to be back today. Risko also states that MSP is
still working on tire tread comparisons and MSP is bringing the Dodge Ram back to Michigan for further testing. Risko says they are planning to review surveillance video to see if Stewart shows up. Stewart claims that he was in Virginia at the time of the abduction.
Thursday - May 13, 2010: MSP continues to wait for blood analysis results. Denny Olson, a former leader in Michigan for the Guardian Angels, is
organizing a search for Venus that will begin at 9 a.m. Friday at a park on West Colon Road near Sturgeon Lake. Volunteers will search from Colon north to Leonidas and Fulton and as far east as Interstate 69. Contact Denny at
diehard1054@yahoo.com for more information.
Friday - May 14, 2010 - More people
come forward to say that they saw Doug's silver Mercury Sable "cruising" around their former home in Schoolcraft, MI, on April 25. MSP awaits all test results on evidence from the car and truck. The tire imprint specialist is waiting on the arrival of the Dodge Ram from NNPD, in whose possession it has been since it was seized.
SEARCH WARRANTS SERVED ON DOUGLAS STEWART:
Search warrant for Douglas Stewart (pdf)
Search warrant for Douglas Stewart's apartment (pdf)
Search warrant for Douglas Stewart's Dodge (pdf)
Search warrant for Douglas Stewart's Mercury (pdf)
Transcription of Search Warrants
WHO'S WHO IN THE VENUS STEWART CASE:
VS - Venus Rose McComb Stewart, 32, who disappeared from her parents home in Colon, MI, on 4-16-10.
DS - Douglas Harrie Stewart, 29, estranged husband of Venus Stewart; former Marine, currently a delivery truck driver.
LM - father of Venus Stewart, in whose home Venus and her children have lived since Feb. 2010.
TM - mother of Venus Stewart, in whose home Venus and children have lived since Feb. 2010.
BS - daughter, 5, of Venus and Doug Stewart.
RS - daughter, 3, of Venus and Doug Stewart.
DJ - Venus's older brother.
DES - Douglas Stewart's father, who lives seven miles from the McCombs' Driftwood Drive residence.
JS - Douglas Stewart's attorney.
MR - Lieutenant Mike Risko, MSP spokesman throughout the Venus Stewart case.
PLACES OF INTEREST:
DD - Driftwood Drive, where Venus was abducted.
NN - Newport News, where Doug Stewart currently lives.
SJC - St. Joseph's County, from which Venus was abducted.
Colon Township - Driftwood Drive is located on the very northern edge of Colon Twp.
Leonidas - community in which Doug's father's farm is located.
LOCAL MEDIA:
MLIVE - Kalamazoo (MI) Gazette newspaper and local media site.
WTVB Radio - AM radio in Branch County, MI.
WOODTV - NBC TV station in Grand Rapids, MI.
WZZM13 - CBS TV station in Western Michigan.
WWMT - CBS station for Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, and Grand Rapids, MI.
WNDU - NBC TV in South Bend, MI.
Daily Reporter - Coldwater, MI, newspaper.
Battle Creek Enquirer - newspaper in Battle Creek, MI.
Sturgis Jornal - Sturgis, MI, newspaper.
WAVY - Newport News, VA, NBC TV station.
WVEC - Hampton Roads, VA, ABC TV station.
DailyPress - Newport News, VA, daily newspaper's website.
LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT NEWS:
MSP Twitter - official twitter account for Michigan State Police, frequently updated.
MSP News Releases - official press releases by Michigan State Police.
CASE-RELATED LINKS:
Douglas Stewart's Myspace - see family videos.
Case Archive Album - a must-see link of case-related photos compiled by WSer AmandaReckonwith (thanks!)
Map of case-related locations - under construction - check back soon.
Sierra1947 Youtube - archive of all Nancy Grace shows.
PREVIOUS THREADS AT WEBSLEUTHS ON VENUS'CASE
Thread 1 - 4/27/2010 to 5/07/2010
Thread 2 - 5/07/2010 to 5/10/2010
Thread 3 - 5/10/10 to 5/13/10
THE VICTIM - VENUS ROSE MCCOMB STEWART:
Venus Stewart is described as a white female, 5-feet, 4-inches tall and weighing 130 pounds. She has brown eyes and dark hair.
Click the image below to go to a slideshow of photos related to this case.
IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION:
Police ask anyone with information about Venus Stewart’s whereabouts to call the State Police post in White Pigeon at 269-483-7611, or the MSP Rockford Regional Dispatch Center at (616) 866-6666 or 911.
