They could not get an answer from the phone number she had given them either. They sent a police cruiser to the address the phone company gave them for that number to investigate further. Police became suspicious when they smelled a foul odor coming from inside the house. They rang the doorbell, but no one answered. They walked around the outside of the house and everything appeared normal. They saw a lady next door working in her flowerbed and asked about the whereabouts of Stardust.
"I have been on vacation these past two weeks and just got home last night. I noticed her car wasn't in the driveway and that was very unusual because she almost never goes anywhere at night. I was hoping to see her this morning so I could tell her all about my trip," the lady replied.
"What kind of car does she have?" They asked.
"It is a dark green Toyota Camry. I think it is a 1997 model, but I'm not positive," the lady said.
"There is a terrible odor coming from inside the house. Does your neighbor have a dog or cat?" One of the officers questioned further.
"No she is strictly a loner. She is allergic to dogs and cats. Most of the neighbors have pets except me. I may be the only neighbor who talks to her. I know she has a computer and talks to people all the time, but other than that she has no public life that I know of," the neighbor answered.
It took some effort, but the police officers managed to force the back door open and entered the house. What they discovered was a ghoulish scene. Stardust's nude body was lying on the kitchen floor with her hands tied behind her. Her head had been decapitated. There was a bloodstained butcher knife lying on the floor beside her and several bloody fingerprints. The police officers also found a note scrawled in blood that read "Good-Bye my darling." The coroner's office determined Stardust had been dead for three days.
They called for the crime evidence technicians and put a police tape completely around the property. The tape read Police Line Do Not Cross. The police once again questioned the neighbor next door.
"Did she have a gun or any other weapon that you know of?" One of the officers asked.
"I know her husband had a pistol and would leave it with her whenever he was out of town," the neighbor replied.
"Do you know what type of hand gun it was?" The officer queried further.