Where are Derek and Maria Broaddus today? The real story behind Netflix’s The Watcher|All Social Updates

Later, Derek and Maria Broaddus, along with the rest of the Broaddus family, bought a second home in Westfield. To disguise the exact location of the new property, the Broaddus family purchased it through a limited liability company (LLC).

Ryan Murphy is adapting the chilling true story of a couple who thought they bought the perfect home in New Jersey into the upcoming series The Watcher, coming to Netflix.

Netflix brings another gruesome true crime story to life with the release of its latest series, The Watcher. Directed by Ryan Murphy and starring Bobby Cannavale and Naomi Watts, the suspenseful film follows a married couple who move into their dream home in New Jersey, only to find they are being stalked by a stranger.

In 2014, the real Broaddus family received threatening letters from an anonymous author calling himself The Watcher. These letters were repeatedly sent to the family. According to the disturbing video, the terrifying news ranged from eerily accurate information about her home to threats against her children.

Which part of the story is the scariest? The person who was chasing me was never found. Read on to learn more about the real-life story that served as inspiration for the new series, coming to Netflix on October 13th, and get ready!

Fast Facts

Where are Derek and Maria Broaddus today?

Derek and Maria Broaddus, a couple who bought a house in Westfield, New Jersey in 2014, are the main protagonists of the true story.

Derek grew up in a middle-class family in Maine before getting a job at an insurance company in Manhattan, where, according to The Cut, he rose to senior vice president “with a salary enough to buy the $1.3 million mansion.” finance”. . Maria grew up in Westfield while Derek grew up in a middle-class family in Maine. Both families lived in the same state.

The couple bought the 657 Boulevard home shortly after Derek reached the milestone age of 40 and immediately began making changes to the space. When they first moved into the six bedroom home, it seemed like the perfect home for them and their three children. However, they quickly discovered that the mansion wasn’t as pretty as it seemed when they started receiving letters from an unknown stalker by the name of The Watcher.

According to The Cut, the Broaddus family later bought a second property in Westfield. To disguise the location of the new home, the family used an LLC to make the purchase. Derek is still active on Twitter and has posted 657 tabloid case updates to date, although he and his companion have chosen to keep a low profile for the past few days and have not commented on their whereabouts. According to Zillow, the Broaddus family was finally able to get rid of their 657 Boulevard residence in 2019 by selling it for about $959,000.

Who was the stalker?

The Broaddus family pursued a number of potential leads, but in each case they came up empty. They once felt that their neighbor Michael Langford was the one following them. Michael Langford’s family had been in the area since the 1960s, when The Watcher claimed their father first viewed 657 Boulevard.

In addition, they enlisted the help of a private detective and a former FBI agent. Someone who was outbid for the house, or a former cleaning lady who was jealous they couldn’t afford to buy the house themselves, could be the stalker. Another possibility is that the person is someone who was outbid for the house. Many people had the idea that the Broaddus family sent the letters to themselves to hide the buyer’s remorse.

By the end of 2014, investigations had stalled and in December the Westfield Police Department told the Broaddus family that they had investigated all possibilities and found none viable. (The perpetrator of the stalking has not yet been identified.)

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The real story behind Netflix’s The Watcher

The incidents, recounted by Reeves Wiedeman in his 2018 article for New York Magazine/The Cut, served as inspiration for The Watcher. As said before, it’s based on the true story of Derek and Maria Broaddus, a couple who bought 657 Boulevard. The Broaddus house serves as the inspiration for this story.

The couple contacted previous homeowners John and Andrea Woods after receiving the first letter. John and Andrea Woods revealed that they, too, received a message from The Watcher a few days before they moved out of the house. The couple then decided to leave the apartment.

On the other hand, Andrea said they had never had anything like this in the 23 years they lived in the house, so they didn’t give it a second thought. After consulting with the authorities, the Broaddus were warned against discussing the contents of the letters with their neighbors, as it was suspected that one of the family members was responsible for sending the correspondence.

An investigation led them to suspect one neighbor in particular, Michael Langford, due to the viewing location of his family’s home as well as the fact that his family was considered quirky. Upon further investigation, he was found to be innocent and the Broaddus hired their own private investigator to investigate the area.

What did the observer write in the letters?

The person who wrote the letter identified himself as the keeper and claimed that she was the keeper of the house in preparation for his “second coming.” The couple had just started renovating their home in June 2014 when they received the first letter, addressed simply to ‘The New Owner’.

They said they received three letters, the second of which identified their children by name and nickname and contained facts that could only have been observed by someone either in the home or very close by. They claim that this information could only be obtained from someone who was either in the house or very close to the house.

As the Broaddus family began their search for the watchman, they discovered the fact that the home’s previous owners, the Woods, had also received a letter shortly before moving out, although they hadn’t had any trouble for the past 23 years.

Netflix’s The Watcher

Several hypotheses have been developed, with some people, like some of the residents of Westfield, believing that the Warden must reside within the walls of the house, and others, like Reddit, claiming the Broaddus had the letters in an effort to themselves addressed to make up for financial losses after the buyer experienced remorse after purchasing the home.

Netflix made a number of changes to the horrifying storyline, one of which is that they changed the first and last names of the Broaddus family. Also, they only had two children over the course of the series, and those children seem to be older than the Broaddus when they first bought the property. If we want to know if the show solves the mystery of who the Guardian is, we’ll have to wait until it airs before we can find out if it does or not.

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What happened to the Broaddus family?

When the home renovations were finally completed, the family was reluctant to move in with their children. After selling their previous home and fulfilling their mortgage and property tax obligations at 657 Boulevard, the couple decided to move in with Maria’s parents.

They made the decision to sell 657 Boulevard six months after receiving the first letters, despite most early bids being much lower than the asking price. The reason for this was the rumors that spread about the house and its alleged stalker.

In June 2015, the two individuals filed legal action against the previous homeowners, the Woods, claiming the family was required by law to disclose the contents of the Watcher letter they received. They had intended to find a peaceful solution, but the story of the house spread around the world. The court decided to dismiss the lawsuit at a later date.

After numerous failed attempts to sell their home, Derek and Maria made the decision to part with it and sell it to a developer who planned to build two new homes on the property. The Westfield Planning Board, in response to anger expressed by members of the community, decided to scrap the agreement.

Shortly after receiving planning board approval, the Broaddus found a family to rent their home to. When Derek returned to the house two weeks later to investigate the squirrel problem, the tenant sent him another letter from The Watcher.

The date of the letter, written on February 13 and addressed to “the vile and disgusting Derek and his whore of wife Maria,” coincided with the date the Broaddus testified in their lawsuit against the Woods. In addition, the letter was written to the tenant, and in it various forms of revenge were threatened.

Derek and Maria Broaddus in Netflix’s The Watcher

Some Frequently Asked Questions

Where are Derek and Maria Broaddus today?

Now that they’re settled, Derek and Maria Broaddus lead private lives.

Who are Derek and Maria Broaddus?

Derek and Maria Broaddus, a married couple, are the owners of the Westfield, New Jersey home they bought in 2014.

Who sent letters to Derek and Maria Broaddus?

The letters, which contained details of her family, were delivered by The Watcher.

What happened to the Broaddus family?

Unable to determine the stalker’s identity, the Broaddus family decided to sell their home for $959,000.

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