Intruder bathed, slept, ate & stole while Boston family was away on vacation

BOSTON — A South End family is horrified after an intruder made herself right at home in their condo while they were out on town.

It’s a story you’ll see only on Boston 25 News.

Emilie, who doesn’t want to use her last name, said her brother-in-law caught the woman in the act after stopping by their home on Worcester Square on Saturday night.

She said the uninvited houseguest ran out with stolen belongings, including handbags, jewelry, and her engagement ring.

It’s unclear how she broke in because there weren’t any apparent signs of forced entry.

Boston 25 News has learned that suspect had just been arrested and released on personal recognizance the day before for an attempted break-in.

Boston Police said Katie Mearn tried to kick in a back door on East Springfield Street, one street over from Worcester Square.

“Victim stated that when he exited the rear entrance, he observed the suspect inside the patio and attempting to hide under a grill cover,” said a police report.

The neighborhood has been vocalizing their urgent concerns about escalating public safety and quality-of-life issues stemming from the troubled Mass and Cass corridor.

“It’s gotten more and more rampant, and it’s clear that there’s no consequences for anything,” said Emilie. “We’re sick of excuses. We need help.”

Emilie, who has a 1-year-old and a 5-year-old, said she can’t believe how comfortable the suspect got inside her family’s condo.

“They had taken a bath. They had taken a shower, gone through all our medicine cabinet, slept in our bed, watched TV, ate our food,” she said. “She found self-tanner that I once bought and put that on everywhere. She ruined all the towels and all the sheets.”

She said not knowing if the stranger spent time in her children’s rooms is especially unsettling on top of the mess left behind and belongings now missing.

“Home invasions and stealing is hard to have a lot of sympathy for when someone is walking around wearing my engagement ring,” said Emilie. “There’s not much more people around here are going to put up with.”

A Boston Police spokesperson said Mearn was rearrested on Tuesday after a warrant was issued in connection with the Worcester Square break-in.

“Let’s not wait for anything worse to happen. We need immediate impactful action,” said District 3 Boston City Councilor John FitzGerald.

Mearn was arraigned Wednesday in Boston Municipal Court Central on one count of unarmed burglary and one count of larceny from building.

She’s being held on $1,500 bail and is due back in court in seven days.

However, a Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson told Boston 25 News she’ll likely get released on that date because she doesn’t have an attorney.

That’s due to the public defender work stoppage that’s already resulted in more than 100 criminal cases getting dismissed.

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