FENTON, Mo. – Neighbors complained about it for months: a house they called an eyesore littered with old cars and makeshift shacks.
So those Fenton homeowners called the I-Team.
Our investigation revealed that the owners of that problem home were running an auto shop there. We found neighbors weren't the only angry ones. Angry customers were wondering where their cars were.
It's been exactly one year since Kevin Keaveny last saw his family car: a red 2005 Pontiac Aztec.
"My kids say, 'We want our red car back. We miss our red car!'" said Keaveny.
Last winter, he put the keys of his beloved Aztec in the hands of good friend and mechanic Nick McCarthy.
"He cut me a price I couldn't pass up. I paid him $3600 in cash," said Keaveny.
McCarthy had started running an auto repair business called T.A.P.M. Auto Works out of his girlfriend's Fenton home.
The I-Team has been to McCarthy's home before.
We met McCarthy back in December after his neighbors complained and shared pictures of his backyard complete with several unlicensed cars, and unsightly shacks.
Even the Jefferson County Building Enforcement Department knew about McCarthy's illegal auto shop. They've issued several citations and eventually an arrest warrant for the homeowner.
That's when Keaveny saw our story and asked us to help get his car back.
"I tried knocking on the door, I brought police to their house, I've left letters. I've sent text messages," said Keaveny.
And now, a break in the case.
Keaveny's car was practically hiding in plain sight at the property.
"Apparently it's been in the garage for a year," said Keaveny.
The ironic part?
It's no longer Keaveny's car.
Turns out his insurance already paid him for the previously missing car. Still, he's thankful.
"Thanks to you guys at Channel 5. You got my story out there and it seems like everything turned around from there," said Keaveny.
But the former residents of this troubled property have more problems ahead. The bank has foreclosed on the home which has already been bought by a development company.
McCarthy and his girlfriend have also been served with eviction papers.
