Police search for masked, armed robber following Walnut Hills home invasion

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - A Walnut Hills family is on edge after they say they came face-to-face with a man who had broken into their home with a knife and made off with thousands in their possessions.

Kristen Walters says her family has called Park Avenue home for the last 18 years. Now she says they’re living in fear after the man threatened them with a knife around 1 a.m. on May 20.

“I’m still so puzzled by a person who is so brazen as to come in and to go upstairs, and that’s what concerns me,” Walters said. “It’s really so sad to be violated in this way.”

She says she and her husband were expecting their son home, so they went to bed around midnight with the door unlocked.

“About 1 a.m., my husband heard somebody on the second floor, and he thought it was my son,” she recalled. “So, he woke up and kind of went into the hallway, and when he looked down the hallway, he could see the lights were all on.”

Walters says her husband eventually opened the door to their son’s room, where he came upon the robber, who was wearing a ski mask and threatened him with the knife.

“He did lunge at Ben and told him to get back and keep the dogs back and then he ran out and disappeared,” Walters said. “Luckily he didn’t hurt anybody, so we’re very grateful for that.”

Walters believes the robber was in their home for around 30 minutes and tired to rip the tv out of the wall in their living room before ransacking their daughter’s room.

“She had just graduated from UC, so she had left all of her presents on her desk,” she said. “He just took all of those.”

The suspect made off with Walters’ daughter’s backpack, stuffed with irreplaceable heirlooms, as well as purses, clothes, jewelry and electronics amounting to $4,000.

Police are are investigating the incident.

“We think this is a young person who could potentially have such a bright future, and in this moment, is making very bad choices,” Walter said. “We’d want to help anybody turn it around.”

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