A McComb woman is recovering this morning at the University of Mississippi Medical Center after being brutally beaten in her home Saturday in what detectives say is the third such attack on an elderly woman in the city this year.
Detective Deska Varnado said the 62-year-old woman told authorities she woke up to a man standing over her wearing a hockey mask and gloves in her St. Augustine Street house around 6 a.m.
He said the victim, who he would not identify, told officers the man pointed a pistol at her and demanded money.
When she told him she didn’t have any money, the assailant began beating her with the gun.
Varnado said the victim tried to fight back with a lamp, but the robber became more aggressive and took it from her.
“He really beat her,” he said. “Her left eye is badly damaged. There’s a possibility she will lose it.”
After the man left, the victim was able to call 911 and went by ambulance to Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center.
“It was a bloody scene,” Varnado said. “This is our third one this year with the same thing. We’re trying to see if anyone, anyone, can give us information on this case.”
The first attack occured in April on White Street when an 85-year-old woman woke up to the sound of a broken window.
The victim told police a black man entered her home and made her give him her purse. The attacker then knocked the victim unconscious with a blunt object.
When the victim awoke, she told authorities she noticed the robber took her phone, leaving her unable to call anyone for help. She reportedly drove herself to SMRMC for treatment.
The second attack took place in July.
A 93-year-old woman spent time at UMMC after being beaten at her home on New York Avenue.
The victim told police that her attacker was a black man who moved a tree limb for her.
The robber was reportedly standing at the victim’s back door, and when she turned around to get her purse to pay him, he came up behind her and hit her in the head, knocking her to the floor.
The robber took the victim’s money from her purse and fled.
Varnado said the most recent victim alone, like the others, and he believes the cases are related.
“No one was in the house with her and the neighbors didn’t hear or see anything,” he said.
Varnado said detectives belive the victim knew her attacker, or that the attacker knew she lived alone.
“We want the suspect arrested,” he said. “We know someone knows something. This seems like it’s getting worse before it gets better. They’re targeting elderly females.”
Anyone with information on the crimes is encouraged to call McComb Police Department, 684-3023, or Crimestoppers, 684-0033.
