39-year-old Douglas Edwin Ball Jr., a resident of Port Huron, MI, is facing very serious charges for the alleged kidnapping of his young son and the possible murder of his son’s mother. Authorities say that there are still many details that they have to work out, and the case is still under investigation, but the situation is being resolved.
According to police records, the investigation began when 30-year-old Lydia Ball was reported missing by her parents. However, they later called police back to say that they had found their daughter’s body in the basement of her Port Huron home. Her 5-year-old son was missing. An Amber Alert was issued for little Douglas Ball III, and investigators began searching for the boy.
The abductor was alleged to be none other than the boy’s biological father, who was also suspected of being Lydia Ball’s murderer. According to Lt. Joel Wood of the Port Huron Police Department, there was a team of investigators working hand-in-hand with Michigan State Police (MSP) officers at the murder site, while another ‘apprehension’ team was assigned to follow up on clues.
The clues allegedly led officers to a home in Orion Township which belongs to the estranged mother of Douglas Ball Jr.
Officers arrived at the house to discover that Ball Jr. was holed up inside the house with both his mother and his son. He refused to allow his mother to answer the door or leave the house. Officers settled in to watch the home, and were rewarded for their efforts at 8:20 the following morning.
Apparently, Ball Jr. had fallen asleep, which was why his mother was able to leave the house. Officers stopped her and asked her about who was inside the house. She told them that both little Douglas and his dad were inside. According to police, the suspect’s mother seemed unaware of the fact that her son was a suspect in a kidnapping, or that her daughter in law was dead.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department was called to the scene, and assisted Port Huron PD in forcing an entry into the house. The little boy was safely recovered, and his father was taken into custody. The Amber Alert was subsequently cancelled and Douglas Ball III was placed by CPS workers, into the custody of his maternal grandparents.
The following day, Ball appeared before Judge Cynthia Siemen Platzer in St. Clair County District Court. He was arraigned on charges of murder and torture, but interestingly not for kidnapping or child abuse, although police say that the investigation is not yet complete. Given the seriousness of these charges, it is very likely that CPS will petition the court to terminate Ball’s parental rights.