ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Authorities are searching for two people they say impersonated pothole workers to gain access to a woman’s home and steal high-end jewelry.
The two accused individuals, Christina Costello and Nicholas Miller, are both from Indiana, believed to be on the run and have been linked to a similar crime in the City of Manchester earlier this year.
On Thursday, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s charged Costello and Miller each with second-degree burglary and stealing ($750 or more) in connection with a separate incident in the City of Lakeshire in south St. Louis County.
Those charges come in addition to an April burglary scheme in the City of Manchester, which also involved stolen jewelry from a victim’s home.
According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, on March 2, a man later identified as Miller went to the victim’s home and told the victim he was “contracted with the City of Lakeshire to fill potholes.” Miller allegedly offered to repair the driveway at a discount and asked to inspect the electrical box behind the house.
The victim reportedly left her door unlocked and accompanied Miller to the backyard for some time. It wasn’t until the next day, investigators say, that the victimdiscovered that hundreds of dollars worth of jewelry was missing from her home.
Police later reviewed a neighbor’s surveillance camera, which shed a white truck parked in front of the victim’s home and a man, identified as Miller, walking with the victim through a side gate. A short time later, surveillance video showed a another suspect, allegedly Costello, enter the home through the front door and quickly leave with a bag in her hand.
While investigating, officers obtained a search warrant for Costello’s cellphone records, which placed her near the victim’s home at the time of the burglary. Phone records also tied her to another location where a similar incident had occurred.
Court documents state that neither Costello nor Miller were arrested in St. Louis County after the crime and both are believed to be out of state and “actively avoiding contact with law enforcement.”
Following a similar scheme in April, during which Costello allegedly pretended to be an Ameren utility worker, Ameren informed the public to “never allow anyone into your home unless you have scheduled an appointment with Ameren or the person has proper identification. Customers call always call Ameren to verify.”
The public is encouraged to take similar precautions when dealing with unsolicited contractors or service workers who claim they represent specific agencies.