A mysterious voicemail sent to a housekeeper by a Washington, D.C. businessman may hold a clue into who murdered him, his wife, their 10-year-old son, and another family housekeeper.
Savvas Savopoulos, 46; his son, Philip, and housekeeper Veralicia “Vera” Figueroa, 57, were found dead inside the Savopoulos’s $4 million mansion on Thursday. His wife Amy Savopoulos, 47, was reportedly found unconscious and bleeding from a head wound outside the home. She was transported to nearby Georgetown University Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. Her body reportedly reeked of gasoline.
The family mansion on affluent embassy row in Northwest D.C. was set ablaze sometime after 1 p.m. Thursday. Police say there was no forced entry into the mansion that is located near the D.C. homes of VP Joe Biden and Bill Clinton.
A 2nd housemaid, Nelly, who worked for the family for 20 years, told police she received a text message from Mrs. Savopoulos on Thursday telling her not to come to work.
Nelly told investigators that on Wednesday she missed a phone call from Mr. Savopoulos, who left a voicemail telling her not to come to work because his wife Amy was sick. Savvas also reportedly told Nelly that Figueroa’s cell phone had died, and she should tell that to anyone who might ask about Figueroa.
Police theorize the family was being held hostage from Wednesday evening into Thursday morning, and that they were murdered after the killers got what they wanted from Savvos on Thursday.
The family’s blue 2008 Porsche 911 was discovered abandoned and torched in a church parking lot in Prince George’s County, about 6 miles from the ironworks business where Savvas Savopoulos was president.
Investigators used bloodhounds to track the scent of the suspect from the car.
On Monday, police released video surveillance showing a man or woman running from the area where the Porsche was abandoned. The person of interest wore wearing a dark hoodie and appearing to be carrying a white package or a white garbage bag.
In a new development today, police say the mansion was wired with a very complex security system that was never turned off even when the family was home.
Someone turned off the security system, leading investigators to believe the murders and arson were an inside job, or that the perpetrators were known to the family.
Neighbors who have been inside the home told NBC News Washington affiliate that valuable artwork was on display inside the home.
Suspicion is falling upon the family’s longtime maid, Nelly, who owns her own cleaning company and hired her best friend, Figueroa, to work with her at the Savopoulos family’s home.
Mr. and Mrs. Savopoulos may have been forced to send messages to Nelly telling her not to come to work — an indication that the killer(s) cared about the maid’s welfare.
Nelly told police she received a text message from Amy Savopoulos’s cell phone on Thursday at 9:56 a.m., that read: “I am making sure you do not come today. If you could come [Friday] or Monday that would be great.”
Nelly said she returned the text message, saying she had no plans to go to the house on Thursday. The fire was set later that afternoon and the bodies were discovered around 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
According to unconfirmed reports, the husband of the deceased housemaid, Vera Figueroa, went to the mansion Thursday morning, after his wife failed to return home the prior evening. He reportedly knocked at the front door and got no answer. He then proceeded around the house to the back door where he knocked again.
A few moments later, he said he received a phone call on his cell phone from Mr. Savopoulos inside the home.
ABC News’ Washington affiliate WJLA is also reporting that a man told police he saw something bizarre outside the home a few hours before the fire, that made him literally stop his car. But he wouldn’t elaborate on what he saw.
The Savopoulos’s have two teenage daughters (pictured above) who were away at boarding schools at the time of the murders. The girls are under police protection at an undisclosed location.
