PORTSMOUTH, Va. – No one has ever been arrested after a family discovered a hidden camera in the shower of their rental home in Portsmouth in late 2022, which burned down just weeks later in early 2023.
WTKR has been covering this story for years.
Newly obtained documents from a Freedom of Information Act request by News 3 shed light on the timeline of a case that the Boone family's attorney says has left them victimized and without answers.
Previous coverage: Fire officials say 'deep investigation' or 'pictures' weren't possible after house with hidden cam burns down
The ordeal began on Dec. 28, 2022, when Sineathia and Barry Boone found a hidden camera behind a two-way mirror in the shower of their North Street rental home and called the police.
"We were devastated," Sineathia Boone said in a previous interview. "My daughter, my son, to have my privacy violated. We all felt violated."
Watch: Video shows moment Portsmouth family finds hidden camera in shower of rental home
On Jan. 10, 2023, police obtained a search warrant for electronic devices found in the home. The warrant stated that when the camera was removed, "a power outlet was discovered along with the wires. The wires then seem to run up to the third floor where a set of modems, routers and/or power type equipment were observed in a closet."
Boone told police that when they moved in, the homeowner "did not want her and her family interfering with any of his electronic set up," according to the warrant.
Ten days later, on Jan. 20, 2023, the house caught fire. Fire officials ultimately ruled that the cause was "undetermined" but likely electrical and not suspicious.
According to the 22-page redacted police report obtained by News 3, a search warrant was executed on the seized electronics on Feb. 2, 2023, but nothing was found on the cameras. The FBI conducted further testing before returning the items in April, according to the report.
Police said eight other files are being withheld from WTKR, citing the “criminal investigative nature."
The report gives some insight into the investigation they call a “suspicious incident." It notes that investigators attempted to preserve a Gmail account belonging to a suspect, whose name was redacted.
Previous coverage: Family frustrated no arrests made after finding hidden camera in rental home that burned down
The report indicates that in October of 2023, police got a call from a person who was upset, saying she hasn’t heard back from the investigator and left messages. Sineathia Boone told WTKR this was her complaining about what they felt was a lack of information the family was getting regarding the case.
In October of 2024, the report states: "Since there was no videos or evidence found of anyone recording or receiving the video from the bathroom, this case will be closed until such a time that other evidence is presented."
No one has ever been arrested or charged in connection with the hidden camera, and police have never publicly named a suspect in this case.
Previous coverage: Family still wants answers after hidden camera found in Portsmouth rental home
The Boone family continues to struggle with the lack of resolution.
"It was really a devastating blow for my family, and to this day, we’re still trying to make sense of it," Sineathia Boone said. "Like, why did this happen to us?"
Their attorney, Zachary Handlin, says the family wants others to know what happened to them and they are still hoping for justice.
The family has since filed a civil lawsuit against the owner of the home.
