This was the entrance to our Palm Springs home of 28 years — inside our courtyard.
The courtyard photo above is inside this big gate.
We do have wonderful memories living there. When we moved in, I was pregnant with our first child. We raised our kids here and it was the only home they had growing up. We had swim banquets in the backyard. Plus, lots of kids over to play hide and seek and a game called sardines. We had several prom dinners and get togethers, too. So much good stuff.
But the last two years, 2019 and 2020, things changed. I was reminded of this with the creepy videos from Nancy Guthries Nest camera.
We had our own creepy guy. This is him. We called the police when we found him asleep in our courtyard on the steps to the backyard. For the first time in 26 years, we had to close our wooden gates daily and at night. They had metal rods that fell into the ground and could only be opened from the inside — or so we thought.
The police said his name was Marco and that he was harmless. But he thought he bought our house and left us notes that he’d physically remove us. My thoughts were that he was harmless until he wasn’t!
The pounding you hear is Marco breaking through the gates. Then he’d move to the steps and archway and pound on that lock.
He was relentless. Once he moved a barbecue into our courtyard. Every time we’d travel, I’d check the Nest feed and there he was. I’d go for walks to the park and when I’d return, Marco was in our yard. We had a friend’s daughter house and cat-sit for us while we were on vacation. She found a pile of blankets and called to ask if they were ours. No. She was terrified and her dad took over.
A neighbor helped us install padlocks on the gate. This is Marco checking out the gate in the daytime.
This was not top of mind until the Nancy Guthrie videos were shown. It’s scary to think there are so many people wandering around people’s houses at night. The police felt sorry for me because I was so frightened. They’d take Marco to jail and he’d be right back within two days. There wasn’t anything the police could do.
I prefer visitors like the bobcat above entering my yard, compared to Marco. I’m happy to be out in the wilds of Arizona with wildlife and not living downtown in Palm Springs.
Have you had strangers in your yard like Marco? If so, what did you do?
What are your thoughts about the Nancy Guthrie story?
Your house story freaks me out. Obviously I have no yard….but we have lots of people around and some are scary. Here’s my take on the Nancy Guthrie thing. I think they wanted to kidnap for ransom, but she passed and now they don’t know what to do. I’ve also read too many books and did contemplate for a hot second that someone kidnapped her to stop Savanah from going to the Olympics
I agree with your thoughts about Nancy Guthrie. I think it was a kidnapping that went bad. She was bleeding and didn’t have her medicine. They are not coming forward when it turned into murder. I’m so relieved to be living in nature rather than downtown. I was afraid in my own home.
Seems to be a lot of conflicting ideas in the Guthrie thing. Plus the initial Bitcoin demands but hasn’t that all stopped? When I do hear an update, it’s really not. Like no one has any idea at all.
I heard the Bitcoin thing was an AI hoax. But at this point who knows. The fact that the family just offered a million leads me to think there was never a real ransom
I do think there’s a story behind the story for sure.
Agree.
I hope for the family’s sake, they find out what happened and there is closure.
Agreed
It seems like the case wasn’t handled that well from the beginning. But they didn’t have much to work with.
I don’t think that I’ve ever lived anywhere that I’ve encountered someone actively occupying my property unless it was an apartment and I didn’t know creepy things were going on. But then I didn’t have cameras about either…Never any obvious evidence at least!
I think the Guthrie situation is much different, even though they have someone on camera. I think her home was targeted vs someone who is clearly mentally ill returning over and over believing they live there. That’s certainly not to say that Marco couldn’t have harmed someone and that it was terrifying for all of you, but the purpose in Guthries case seems very different, at least from the stories I’ve seen/heard.
We put up the cameras because of Marco. Maybe it made my fear worse?
Hard to say, but in the case of Marco I think the cameras were warranted. If for nothing else just the evidence of what he was doing. It was stalkerish in many ways underneath the obvious mental illness he held.
I keep hearing the Guthrie case was believed to be a burglary and she probably inadvertently confronted the robber? They just don’t seem to know very much and it’s been so long now.
We had a neighbor who went to school with Marco at Palm Springs High School. Now he’s in his forties. The neighbor said he got into drugs, which may be because of mental illness or made it worse.
I think in the Guthrie case it could have been a burglary that turned into an injury or worse.
Omg… how terrifying. Did he stop coming on his own or did you have to move away to be rid of him?
And I agree, I definitely prefer the bobcat. Though to be honest I’ve never seen one so thin. Poor thing needs a few good meals.
That was a skinny bobcat. We haven’t seen any for months. There was a mom with two kittens that would stop by.
We ended up moving to Arizona and Marco may still be in our yard. It was an awful few years. I didn’t want to leave my beautiful home and I fought my husband on it. Then with Marco moving into our yard, I couldn’t leave fast enough.
That’s awful. I can’t imagine not feeling safe in your own home.
So sorry.
Thank you. The home went from my haven and joy to me cowering inside and afraid to go outside. I’m so glad we moved!
I love the bobcat photo! I see them occasional, but never that close and clear.
How creepy with Marco! I can’t imagine a stranger making themselves at home in my yard. I guess trespassing must not be that serious of a crime?
As for the Guthrie case, I heard that DNA didn’t match anyone in the FBI’s database; they’ve been capturing everyone’s DNA at birth since the 70s, so I’m guessing the culprit is from Mexico, is home safe and sound, and will get off scot-free. Unfortunately. As for the motive, nothing makes all the much sense. I just feel so bad for the family.
We have rare sightings of bobcats now. We used to have one every day who would sit on our roof or sleep in the outdoor fireplace.
I’m so glad to not have to deal with Marco now. It really changed how I felt about my home. My husband was working in an office and I was dealing with Marco home alone.
I think in the Guthrie case that it could be someone from Mexico. I wish the family would have some closure.
Wow Elizabeth, that was a scary situation! I don’t see how the police could call this guy harmless. I’m glad you guys are safer now. The Bobcat looks a lot like a domestic cat.
We had that bobcat every day. But now it’s a rare treat to see them. Once we had two kittens. They do look domestic. It was so sad to have our home feel like we had a daily invasion and I was afraid to be home.
Seems to me like the best place for Marco is in a mental institution. But they don’t do that sort of thing anymore. Instead they just let these guys roam around, being a general nuisance to everyone. What a shame you had to go through all that.
You had a nice looking house and were in a very nice neighborhood. I know this for fact from the days I delivered mail in Palm Springs. But I guess even nice neighborhoods are not exempt from the depredations of the homeless, in California.
We thought when we first called the police that Marco would get help. Instead he got a night in jail and then released. It was a beautiful home although the last two years I lived in fear. I’m glad to be out in the sticks in Arizona without homeless and the high cost of living of Palm Springs. I’m glad our kids loved living there and have great memories.
It’s a beautiful city, but living in fear is no fun.
Exactly. I do enjoy being out next to a nature’s preserve and National forest. We don’t have any of the issues of a city now.
I’m so sorry you went through this. 💜
It really changed how I felt at home. Especially being home alone during the day with my husband at work.
The Bobcat is beautiful! When we first moved in, the neighborhood was kind of iffy at times. We had a tall thin guy, pretty memorable climb our fence and go into the backyard. He stole a metal ornamental for shielding plants. I used to see him around the neighborhood on his bike. He was harmless but we did catch him on camera. We have a retired Deputy who lives across the street. She caught teenagers years ago messing with our AC for metal or something and chased them away. No problems other than that. We kind of keep watch over one another’s homes. We all know our immediate neighbors as they have been here a long time. That is scary though. I believe she is not alive and it was a crime of opportunity until he figured out he took the wrong high publicity person and then stopped communicating. I do think it is a man and he is not known to them.
Our neighborhood turned into VRBOs on all sides of us. So we had vacant homes most of the time. I’d like to see another bobcat. We haven’t had one for a year at least. I’m glad I found your comment. Why it has gone into spam now is strange.
Wow! Very scary incident. I think that guy had some disconnect with reality.
He definitely did. The notes he’d leave us were about calling the FBI to have us removed from our home!
Poor guy. Some circumstances are so shocking that people lose their minds
It’s sad. I wonder where his family is? He was raised in Palm Springs and went to school there. His family may be close by. Maybe they gave up on him.
Perhaps! When Covid struck, my daughter was in Seattle and she told me that it just take a few missed payments to make people homeless.
That’s true. A neighbor who knew Marco in high school said he got heavily into drugs. He liked our home because of the courtyard and we were two blocks from restaurants. They would feed him.
Drugs abuse can ruin lives pretty quickly.
Yes. We thought he would get help by sending him to jail, but the police said, nothing is done for them. There are homeless shelters, but he didn’t want to go in one.
I’m glad that you’re out of that situation.
You have no idea how glad I am, too! I feel 100% safe every single day.
And that is very important- to feel safe.
Definitely.
❤️🙏🏼❤️
💕
That would certainly be scary!! Glad you can feel safe now, away from there !
I really feel for the Guthrie family. Can’t imagine my mom disappearing like that. I feel she is dead and pray that if so they can find a body to get closure. Not knowing has to be maddening!
Thank you. It was scary. He’d often stand across the street and watch when we’d come and go. I do feel safe. I’m much happier with coyotes, javelina and bobcats hanging out!
I feel that Nancy Guthrie must be dead. I hope the family find out what happens and can get closure, too.
I would still feel wary around the animals but yes, would prefer them!
Definitely!
I think it might be random and the person who kidnapped her did not expect all the publicity and he fled to Mexico. I remember reading about your home and this guy. We haven’t experienced anything like this but in the beginning years of owning our home, we had a random climb over the fence to grab a gardening trellis-odd choice but the police looked at the video and did not do much. It stopped. He was homeless and part of our area and then he left. We have a tight group of neighbors who have lived her for awhile, so if anything happens we will hear. There are a few retired law enforcement in the area, also.
Your comment ended up in spam. I have no idea why. Thanks for the suggestion to look there!
I agree with your ideas about Nancy Guthrie. I think the person fled to Mexico too. I feel sorry for the family that they aren’t getting answers. We had a few other instances with strangers we saw on video. One guy jumped over our wall, then crossed the street and jumped over the neighbors wall. Another person moved into our hedge and put all his stuff there and disappeared into it. We asked him to leave and offered him some fresh fruit for the road. It was because we lived downtown. The main street was two blocks away with all the shops and restaurants.
Yowsa – Marco is terrifying. It’s so hard to have our sacred places. I’m glad that you have so many years of memories at that house before his unwelcome entry. Here’s to birds and bobcats!
Yes, he was a creepy looking guy. The first time I thought something was off was finding a wet t-shirt on the ground. I think he used our hose to shower. Another scary thought was the master bedroom windows are the ones in the courtyard. He would peak through the windows! Plus, we could hear him breaking through the gates in the middle of the night. I will take my birds and bobcats any day!
So scary. Especially your home – that’s where you go get away from stuff like that. So sorry that you had to deal with that. Yes to the bobcat.
Yes, our home should be our sanctuary. Instead I felt like we had a constant home invasion. At least the kids were grown and out of the house. They didn’t experience it except for one Christmas. We had our DIL’s entire family, she’s the oldest of seven. Marco was really upset to see the crowd of people in our home and he left some doozies of notes. I much prefer Red and the bobcat.
I wouldn’t have felt safe! Ugh.
I didn’t at all. Even when I couldn’t see him or he wasn’t there, I knew he would show up!
My friend, that was so terrifying. Having someone randomly show up in your yard whenever they like, talk about living in fear. I hate that he kept getting out. I’m sorry, but if that happened in Florida, he wouldn’t be getting out and doing the same thing over and over. It’s pitiful!
My post tomorrow has a little bit to do with Savanah Guthrie. The situation with her mom is so sad. Heartbreaking. I think she passed away, and the kidnappers just left or buried her somewhere. The family probably won’t get closure.
It was an awful way to end 28 years living in my forever dream home. I could see in the police eyes how they were so frustrated and angry for me. In California, the police have their hands tied. Plus, there was no help for a person who obviously needed it. I am grateful for all the good memories we had in that home raising our kids there. I asked a former deputy sheriff about crime in our area for our new Arizona home. He said there is only speeding! I love that!
I do think Nancy Gutrhrie has passed away. I wish someone would come forward to give the family the answers they need.
I’d prefer a Bobcat or any wild animal that people
I one hundred percent agree!
That’s very scary!1
It was no way to live!
Absolutely not!
I’m so relieved to be out of there!
Holy crap, that’s scary! I don’t blame you for feeling more peaceful in AZ
Much more peaceful with nature rather than an urban setting.