The Dateline episode “Finding Venus” investigates the 2010 murder of 32-year-old Venus Stewart. While staying with her parents in Colon Township, Michigan, the mother of two went out to get the mail one morning in her pajamas and disappeared. Her purse, her phone, everything was left inside the house. Even though her body was not found, police eventually pronounced Venus dead. In 2011, her estranged husband Doug Stewart, who pleaded his innocence, was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Doug Stewart had an alleged accomplice, 21-year-old Ricky Spencer, dress up like Doug and use Doug’s credit cards 700 miles away while Doug was killing his wife.
In October 2018, Doug Stewart admitted to killing his wife eight years ago. In exchange for telling police where her body was, the Michigan Department of Corrections agreed to honor some of Stewart’s requests including Xbox gaming systems. Three Xbox consoles were delivered at the veteran wing of Saginaw Correctional Facility in the ironically named town of Freeland, Michigan. (Stewart is a U.S. military veteran.) Inmates with permission will be allowed to play 30 minutes at a time on the Xbox consoles. More than 240 veterans are serving time at Saginaw. Dateline airs Sundays at 9 on NBC.
