Michigan police and the FBI are searching for one or more suspects who broke into the home of a biracial couple and painted racial slurs on the walls and ceilings, including “Go Away N-word,” and dumped black paint on the floor.
Russell and Jayme Browning had lived in the two-story Brown City home with their six children for half a decade and were in the process of moving to Ohio when one of their daughters made the terrible discovery.
According to local station ABC12, she returned on April 4 to pick something up and found the house vandalized.
An unknown party used paint to scrawl slurs throughout the house, including “Don’t Want U,” “Leave!!!” and “Go Away [N-word],” according to video footage from the family. Large holes were torn in the walls, and the windows were spray-painted.
In an April 9 press release, interim Police Chief Marc Perez stated that officers are investigating a breaking and entering during which “the residence sustained significant damage, including…destruction of drywall, damage to entryways, and the presence of extremely profane graffiti containing hateful and racially offensive language. This type of conduct is deeply disturbing and wholly unacceptable.”
The FBI has been in touch with the family and is investigating the incident, ABC12 reports.
Perez told the outlet they’re considering several charges, and that a hate crime charge is not off the table.
“There are a multitude of charges here, and depending on the surrounding circumstances, and what it is we find, it’s a very good chance there will be more charges, we just don’t know at this time.”
The homeowners claimed they had never had trouble in Brown City before, a tiny 1.1-square-mile town with about 1,100 residents, and the destruction took them by surprise.
Jayme took to Facebook on April 12 to thank the community for the “outpouring” of support.
“Russell has said that he never experienced anything other than kindness, inclusiveness, and generosity from all of you, and we both consider this situation to not have been a reflection of the Brown City residents,” she wrote, adding that they hope to sell the house once the damages have been fixed. “Many of you know the extraordinary work Russell has done to the house. Hopefully, some other family can move in and enjoy it all.”
A family member launched a GoFundMe for the Brownings to help cover the cost of fixing the house, describing the ordeal as “unthinkable…The family has to bear this.”
