North Texas property investor comes face to face with burglary suspects

A meticulously prepared home in south Fort Worth was left in shambles after being targeted by burglars.

Angela Souder, the homeowner, recounted the ordeal, stating, “The property is up for sale. On Saturday, we had three showings, with the first one starting at 10:15 in the morning. So, I woke up early, got here around 8:00, and just wanted to make sure that everything was okay.”

Police responded to a call regarding a home and vehicle burglary on the 5000 block of Walla Avenue.

“I’m still shaking talking about it, to be honest,” Souder revealed. “Two people were literally living here. Like coming into my own property and not feeling protected in my own home… it’s very scary.”

Law enforcement observed signs of forced entry at the back of the home, with window screens in the middle bedroom torn off.

Souder shared images with NBC 5 depicting blocked windows, damaged furniture, broken windows, vape cartridges, and bags of food strewn about the house.

“It had been about a week that I wasn’t here. So, with them having the food items, QT Cups, McDonald’s, they had been here for an extended amount of time,” Souder remarked. “There were cigarette burns on the countertops in the bathroom. Over here, the sliding glass door that was shattered into pieces… the mattress had cigarette burns in it, the box spring, all the sheets.”

Souder estimated the damages to exceed $20,000 after her purse was stolen, containing important documents and personal belongings.

The suspects, captured on a neighbor’s Ring surveillance camera, fled after Souder confronted them. Fort Worth Police confirmed the individuals in the video as the burglary suspects.

Souder has circulated flyers with images of the suspects and is offering a $500 reward for any information leading to their arrest.

Despite the incident, Souder has cleaned up the home and restored the damages in time for scheduled home tours on Tuesday afternoon. She aims to raise awareness among investors and realtors across North Texas to be more vigilant when entering properties.

“Lesson learned for me. I want to have mace. I want to have something that I feel good about,” Souder emphasized. “I just want to really create awareness for the City of Fort Worth and for realtors, investors that are walking into these properties. You just don’t know what you’re going to walk into.”