'The Watcher': What Happened to Derek and Maria Broaddus?

If you are a fan of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Friend of the Family, and Mindhunter you will not want to miss The Watcher on Netflix.

Created by Ryan Murphy, the true-crime series is eerily based on the jaw-dropping real-life story of Derek and Maria Broaddus, whose move into their dream home in New Jersey was far from smooth and soon became a very dangerous reality. Their frightening tale was first detailed in a 2015 article in The Cut/New York Magazine by Reeves Wiedeman.

Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale play the couple in the miniseries where their names have been changed to Nora and Dean Brannock.

What actually happened to the real Derek and Maria Broaddus? Newsweek has everything you need to know.

What Happened to Derek and Maria Broaddus?

In 2014, Derek and Maria Broaddus purchased their dream home in Westfield, New Jersey, shortly after Derek Broaddus' 30th birthday.

The $1.3 million home was a six-bedroom house, built in 1905 and located at 657 Boulevard in Westfield.

However, their dream soon became a terrifying reality when they began to be harassed by letters that were signed simply by "The Watcher."

Just three days after they closed the deal on their new home, they received a letter addressed to the "New Owner" and inside, they found a typed note. At first, the letter welcomed them to the neighborhood, before it took a sinister turn.

"How did you end up here?" the letter read. "Did 657 Boulevard call to you with its force within?

"[The house at] 657 Boulevard has been the subject of my family for decades now and as it approaches its 110th birthday, I have been put in charge of watching and waiting for its second coming," the letter continued. "My grandfather watched the house in the 1920s and my father watched in the 1960s. It is now my time. Do you know the history of the house? Do you know what lies within the walls of 657 Boulevard? Why are you here? I will find out."

The writer had also made note of everything the Broaddus family was doing in terms of renovating, writing: "I see already that you "Tsk, tsk, tsk...bad move. You don't want to make 657 Boulevard unhappy. have flooded 657 Boulevard with contractors so that you can destroy the house as it was supposed to be."

They also made note of the Broaddus three children, writing: "Was your old house too small for the growing family? Or was it greed to bring me your children? Once I know their names I will call to them and draw them too [sic] me."

After receiving the note, Derek Broaddus contacted John and Andrea Woods who had sold them the home, asking if they had ever received any letters from "The Watcher". It turns out, they had, but only one time during their 23 years of living there.

The next day, Detective Leonard Lugo instructed the Broaddus' not to speak to their new neighbors about the letters as they were now all suspects.

For the next few weeks, they continued to receive letters that included haunting comments such as "I am pleased to know your names now and the name of the young blood you have brought to me", referring to their children and "who has the bedrooms facing the street? I'll know as soon as you move in. It will help me to know who is in which bedroom. Then I can plan better."

After police failed to find who was responsible, Derek Broaddus set up his own investigation to catch The Watcher, suspecting the Langford family next door may be responsible due to the vantage point of their home. However, they were eventually cleared as suspects.

Six months after they purchased 657 Boulevard, the Broaddus' decided to try and sell the home, with Maria Broaddus diagnosed with PTSD. They also filed a legal complaint against the Woods family, arguing they should have disclosed to them the letter they received from The Watcher. Their case was later dismissed.

When a local reporter in Westfield caught wind of the legal complaint, the story soon went viral, with numerous armchair detectives hoping to crack the case. However, things only got worse for the Broaddus' when they found themselves suspected by local neighbors of sending the letters to themselves in an attempt to get out of moving into the house and paying for renovations, which they denied.

In 2016, the Broaddus' tried to sell the house to a developer, a plan which was met with resistance from the local community. The proposal was ultimately rejected by the planning board but luckily, they had some good news, a family had agreed to rent 657 Boulevard from the Broaddus'.

Just before the family was to move in, Derek Broadus came across a letter at the home which read: "To the vile and spiteful Derek and his wench of a wife Maria" and was dated February 13, the same day they gave depositions in their lawsuit against the Woodses.

The letter threatened acts of violence, reading: "Maybe a car accident. Maybe a fire. Maybe something as simple as a mild illness that never seems to go away but makes you feel sick day after day after day after day after day. Maybe the mysterious death of a pet. Loved ones suddenly die. Planes and cars and bicycles crash. Bones break."

In the end, Maria and Derek Broaddus never made 657 Boulevard their home, and today, the Watcher's identity remains unknown.

The Broadus' sold the house in 2018 for $400,000, much less than they paid for it.

The Watcher is streaming on Netflix now.