Kia Plucked from River in Woonsocket was Insurance Fraud Scheme, Police Say

WOONSOCKET, RI—A white Kia Sedona plucked from the Blackstone River on Nov. 18 was under water in more ways than one.

And detectives, from the beginning, knew something was fishy about the appearance of the vehicle in the river, which was reported stolen earlier in the day.

One clue: the car had been cleaned out before it ended up submerged in the river.

Another: the keys weren’t in the ignition but the car was in neutral before it rolled down the river bank at Cold Spring Park. The only way to shift into neutral with the keys out is to lift a mechanical bypass cover and manually force it out of park.

That evidence, along with a host of other clues at the scene, helped Woonsocket detectives follow a trail that led them about a mile-and-a-half from where the Kia was plucked out of the water, right to the doorstep of its owner who reported it stolen earlier that day.

That owner, Judith A. Schulze Fisher, 33, is now facing charges of falsely reporting a crime, a misdemeanor, and conspiracy and insurance fraud, both felonies, in an apparent scheme to defraud her insurance company after the car needed repairs while she still owed loan payments.

Also charged were Matthew Fisher, 28, of 43 Spring St., her husband; and an accomplice, Anthony O’Brien, 25, of 287 Morin Heights Blvd., for their role in the scheme.

When she reported the Kia stolen, Fisher told police at around 7 a.m. that she last saw it parked on the street at around 9:30 p.m. the night before. When she woke up, she claimed, it was gone, so she immediately called police, telling officers that it was unlocked, a tire was flat and she had the lone key.

“She did state the vehicle was drivable, however didn’t believe it would be able to go very far,” police said in the initial report.

The first call for the Kia floating in the river came in at around 10 a.m. when a walker in Cold Spring Park told police that he saw its rear-end sticking out of the water about two-and-a-half hours earlier.

Police soon found the vehicle not too far from where officers found tire marks and disturbed rocks and brush to reveal where the Kia careened down the embankment.

About 150 feet from the launching spot, detectives found bits of broken tail lamps covers and tire marks that revealed whoever ditched the Kia had backed into a tree beforehand.

Detectives also thought it was suspicious that the vehicle was emptied before ending up in the river. Investigators noted that Fisher is the mother of five children and there was but one booster still in the car.

“Based on five children and most requiring car seats, I found it odd they were not in the vehicle,” a detective noted in the report. “There was nothing with exception to the booster [indicating] the owner would have had children.”

Police questioned the Fishers several times in November and after an investigation, detectives concluded on Nov. 30 that “it was clear the intentions were to destroy the vehicle to eliminate the need for repair and the loan,” police said.

Both Fishers were arrested on Saturday after a traffic stop and are now free on personal recognizance until they are scheduled to appear in Sixth Division District Court on Feb. 26.

O’Brien, who was arrested by the Rhode Island State Police on Dec. 23, was charged with insurance fraud, conspiracy and three warrants. He was released on personal recognizance and is due to appear in court on Feb. 24.