Enough is Enough

I have owned this house for 20+ years.  It was an investment property that I bought when I moved to Mineral Point to be with Bob.
Bob always managed this property, and took care of repairs and the tenants.  After Bob passed away, I managed this myself, but not very well.  I am too much of a marshmallow, and was a sucker for a good sob story.  So, I ended up with tenants that took advantage of me, and with COVID in the picture, things spiraled downward very quickly...

My last tenant turned out to be an illegal immigrant; after renting for almost 2 years, he was caught and deported. His girlfriend (?), her friend and daughter still lived in the house.  I did not know this for at least a month, probably more, and due to Covid-19, I had not been in the house for probably 6 months.  No one notified me of the deportation, and when I collected the rent, I always asked if anything needed to be repaired, and the answer was always "no."  When I finally learned from the police department about my tenant being deported, I gave the remaining occupants a 10-day notice, and they did leave, but the mess they left behind was atrocious.  Let it be known that I had a police escort when I made this final inspection.  I am posting some pictures of what I had to deal with...

  

 

 

 

I thought I had a reasonably good renter, the rent and bills got paid. I called his employer before we signed the lease and had gotten a good report. I still got duped.   Who could I sue or take to court for damages? I don't know where my tenant is, or even if I know his real name.  I can't sue the girlfriend.  I will keep the security deposit of course, but it will not cover the damages.  THIS is why I am no longer going to rent this house. I have decided to sell. It will take a lot of work to bring this house to a livable condition, but if I do, maybe I can make a profit.