Copyright dailymail
The hero Detroit area uncle who rescued his toddler niece from an unhinged nanny can be revealed as Douglas Smith. Smith, 58, is the brother-in son-in-law of Katie Ong, 48, who on Friday had left her two-year-old daughter in the care of Samantha Rae Booth, 35, her babysitter for two years. When Katie called to check on her toddler and couldn't reach Booth, she called her father, 83-year-old David Ong, to swing by her cottage-style home in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak. But she lost contact with him and asked Smith, her brother-in-law, to check on them all. Upon his arrival, Smith apparently found his father-in-law dead in the basement after the alleged attacked by Booth, who was naked, bloody and wielding a screwdriver. Escaping Booth's attempts to attack him and his niece, Smith apparently grabbed the toddler and fled to a neighbor's home to call 911. When police arrested Booth shortly after, she apparently confessed to killing David Ong, boasting that she had 'f****d him up.' Smith, who is married to Katie Ong's sister, Kelley, would not comment on the situation from his home in nearby Bloomfield Hills on Wednesday. Kelley and Katie could not be reached for comment. Their brother Patrick Ong told the Daily Mail on Wednesday that detectives have asked the family not to comment on the case while his father's homicide is under investigation. Asked how he and his family are faring in the aftermath of the tragedy, Patrick said, 'As expected. 'It's really hard.' Cops called to the scene found that Booth had stripped her clothes off and was covered in blood, according to a police report. She was arrested shortly after and has been charged with six felonies including murder. According to prosecutors, police found what they believe to be psychedelic mushrooms and marijuana in Booth's purse. Police said that Booth has no known criminal history and they have not commented on a possible motive for the horrific crime. The arrest of Booth and her subsequent charges have left her own family shell-shocked, with her brother Danny speaking with Daily Mail on Tuesday. 'My sister is the bright child of the family, full of joy, always smiling and caring. She loves that family,' Danny said, in reference to the Ongs. He said Booth had been babysitting the child 'for a while'. 'We are just trying to get to the bottom of this,' he added. 'I do think it's important that people know the good side of her, she had no history of drug abuse or mental health issues.' Danny says he and his parents have been left utterly bereft by their loved one's arrest with his father experiencing panic attacks. He said he is the one holding everything together, adding: 'It has been especially hard because we have been unable to speak to Samantha.' Ong's other daughter, Kelly Ong Smith, paid tribute to her father's heroism on Facebook. She described the loss of her father as 'immeasurable', adding that Ong was 'a man of incredible kindness, love and faith'. According to Ong's obituary he leaves behind his wife Jacqueline, was the father of four and grandfather to 11. Booth is facing six felonies including, first degree murder, second degree child abuse, assault with a dangerous weapon and three counts of assaulting a police officer. She was due to appear in court via Zoom on Tuesday, but the hearing was held in her absence after she stripped naked in her holding cell and refused to cooperate. After a back-and-forth with the judge, prosecution and defense she agreed to hear her charges but still refused to show herself. Her attorney pleaded not guilty on her behalf during the hearing, with the judge denying her bond, saying she posed a 'danger to society'.
