PORTSMOUTH, Va. — First, a family finds a hidden camera behind a two-way mirror in their shower wall. Then, a fire destroys the home and over two years later, they are still seeking justice.
The WTKR Investigative Team continues to dig for answers as a family says they’re extremely frustrated by a lack of accountability and information they have received about the camera and the fire that broke out in their home.
Watch: Video shows moment Portsmouth family finds hidden camera in shower of rental home
Investigative Reporter Margaret Kavanagh first story on this case ran in January 2023. Now, she's explaining the information she's asking officials for and their responses.
Ringing coming from behind a two-way mirror inside of a shower wall was the first indicator there was something wrong, according to Sineathia and Barry Boone.
At first, they didn’t know where the ringing was coming from, but it led them to the discovery of a hidden camera back in December 2022.
The Boones rented a home for themselves and their two teenage kids in the 400 block of North Street in Olde Towne Portsmouth for 16 months before they came across the ringing.
They say their teenage daughter pointed the camera light from her cell phone at the mirror and could see purple lights coming from behind the mirror. Next, contractors took the two-way mirror off the shower wall and found a hidden camera with a long cord inside.
Previous coverage: Family frustrated no arrests made after finding hidden camera in rental home that burned down
The family was horrified and felt violated.
“I had kids, you had a camera filming kids, filming my wife and me in the shower. I mean, that is the most devastating, torturous thing you could do,” said Barry Boone.
Then, the house burned down about two weeks later.
Previous coverage: Family still wants answers after hidden camera found in Portsmouth rental home
The Portsmouth Fire Department said the cause was electrical but the ultimate cause of the issue was undetermined, noting that the damage made the investigation difficult and the fire was not ruled suspicious.
Through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, WTKR asked for the fire reports, but the reports only give details about the scene of the fire and the response from firefighters.
One part of the report read, “This is the complete report. Pictures and a deep investigation were not possible due to the damage associated to the fire and the ruling of the cause being undetermined."
WTKR asked the Portsmouth Fire Department to clarify this statement. Here are the questions WTKR sent them and the answers they provided:
1. What about the damage prevented a deep investigation from taking place? The entire 3rd floor was heavily damaged with complete roof collapse.
2. What about the damage prevented pictures from being taken at the scene? Direct pictures of factors specific to the cause and determination of the cause of the fire were not possible.
3. The report has no information regarding the fire marshal investigation. Was there no fire marshal investigation into this fire? Two Fire Marshals were on scene.
4. Given the nature of the situation, the family finding cameras in the bathroom wall just two weeks prior, why is there no information regarding those issues within this report? This is a police matter and should be directed to the Police Department.
Portsmouth Police previously told us their office and a federal law enforcement agency retrieved the hard drive connected to the camera and did not locate any files or recordings. Police said therefore, due to lack of evidence, no one was charged.
We have requested more documents and reports from police, but they’ve said they will need 60 days to fulfill that request.
We reached out to the Portsmouth Commonwealth’s Attorney's Office regarding this case and they issued us this statement:
"The Portsmouth Police Department is the investigative body in this matter and is handling all aspects of the investigation. The Portsmouth Commonwealth's Attorney's Office has not received a completed investigative file related to this case. However, should an arrest be made and the appropriate evidence is presented to our office, we stand ready to dedicate significant effort to ensure a thorough and diligent prosecution. Our commitment remains to seek justice, ensure accountability, and uphold public safety for the citizens of Portsmouth."
Previous coverage: Portsmouth family finds hidden camera in bathroom; Weeks later, fire destroys house
The Boones feel like no one is being held accountable for the camera in their shower and want further investigation into the case. They said they're fearful the person who put the camera in their bathroom could be doing it to others.
WTKR recently interviewed their new lawyer.
“This is a travesty. I can’t believe that nobody has prosecuted anyone as a result of what happened,” said attorney Zach Handlin. “It’s just terrible and the fact that their house burns down two weeks later. This is ripe for a serious investigation.”
The home was sold a few months after the fire. We have tried to reach out to the people who owned the home back when all this happened and have not received any kind of response.
The former property owner issued us the following statement:
“At RE/MAX ALLIANCE, the safety, privacy, and trust of our clients are of utmost importance. We were deeply troubled to learn about the discovery of a hidden camera at the property, and we share the family’s distress over the severity of this violation. We understand their frustration, and we fully support the ongoing investigations by the appropriate authorities.
“While we cannot comment on active investigations or specific details based upon our attorney's instructions, we want to emphasize that RE/MAX ALLIANCE takes these matters very seriously. We continue to review and reinforce our policies and practices to protect the privacy and security of all renters and property owners associated with our agency.
"We would like to encourage anyone with information related to this case to come forward and help law enforcement in their efforts.”
