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A Michigan husband was killed while his wife suffered “catastrophic injuries” after an explosion leveled their suburban home – and cops now believe the blast was part of a murder-suicide plot.
Doug Preston, 62, died and his wife of almost 40 years, Lucy, 61, was pulled from the rubble in the blast that leveled the couple’s Plainfield Township, Mich., home at around 4 a.m. Tuesday, WZZM reported.
The cause of the blast is still being investigated.
Alpine Township Fire Chief Jeremy Kelly suggested a natural gas leak may have contributed to the fatal explosion, but Kent County undersheriff Bryan Muir outlined the apparent ill intention.
“This is believed to be a domestic-related situation … and that the fire was intentionally set, we believe by the husband at this point, intending to be a murder-suicide,” Muir told reporters Tuesday.
Investigators obtained text messages, which they say support their theory without revealing any further details.
Lucy had filed for divorce from Doug in March, according to court documents obtained by WOOD, after Doug had previously complained about his wife’s supposed “excessive spending.”
Lucy, a beloved figure in the town’s Polish community, and her electrician husband Doug were supposed to appear in court Friday for a hearing and would’ve celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on Sunday.
The couple was tied into a mutual restraining order at the time of the blast, which meant neither could damage their property, WZZM reported.
They were also blocked from deleting electronic data and making major financial changes without prior approval from the court.
Neighbors recalled how the couple’s relationship was strong until just a few months ago.
Lucy discussed her marital problems with her next-door neighbor of 30 years, Jerry Orent, WWMT reported.
Orent was left reeling by what unfolded, as he said, “Nothing is worth killing yourself or killing someone else. If you have a problem, ask for help.
“There just could have been a better way, how on earth can you think that killing yourself is going to be better than living.
“There is no choice any longer, there is no fixing it, there is no common sense or logic.
“Someone made a decision and other people had to pay the penalty and it is down right sad.”
Orent also described Doug Preston as someone who “doesn’t make mistakes and who is downstairs at 3:30 in the morning.” “It just doesn’t fit,” he said.
Several windows of Orent’s home were blown out, and he admitted he felt lucky to be alive.
Around 50 calls reporting the explosion were made in the immediate aftermath of the blast.
“There was a massive explosion, rumbling,” neighbor Kurt Dutrizac said.
“We saw a fireball, kind of mushroom cloud, still rising from the house. And then I was able to get outside probably within a minute after that and at that point I saw that the house was on fire, kind of the backyard was on fire.
“There was debris strewn about and there were some screams, shouting.”
Brave neighbors charged over to the scene, which was rubble, and tried to save Lucy.
Tim Johnson and his 17-year-old neighbor Mandrell Bryant helped pull Lucy out of the wreckage.
“I had to get in there and get her out,” Johnson, who rushed to the scene wearing his socks, told WOOD.
“[Bryant and I] grabbed her arms and pulled her out as far as we could.”
Bryant sprinted to the scene, despite his mom warning him against it.
“My mom was telling me, ‘No, you can’t go, you can’t go,’ but I was like, ‘Mom, I see her, she’s right there, she’s right there,” he told WZZM.
Bryant said Lucy’s body was “blown so far out that she wasn’t actually inside of the house.” Doug’s body was recovered at around noon. The intense heat stalled crews in their recovery operation.
Lucy, who was given the Polish cultural title “Busia Queen” in 2023, was left with “catastrophic injuries,” her friend Marzanna Butryn wrote on GoFundMe.
She suffered severe fourth-degree burns across much of her body and is on a ventilator. She faces an “unimaginably long and painful road” of surgeries and rehabilitation, her friend added.
Lucy founded the charity Busia’s Boutique in 2024, which provides items to struggling families.
“Lucy is a caring, selfless person who has always given so much to those around her. She does so much for her community and is always willing to help others however she can. So many people know and love Lucy for her kindness, generosity, and big heart,” Butryn said.
In October 2024, Lucy revealed how her husband was among those who helped turn her charitable idea into a reality.
“A lot of volunteers from this hall, my husband, and a lot of vendors that helped volunteer time and money and supplies, they all loved the cause and said, ‘Let’s do it,’” she told WOOD.
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