Irving Park Woman, 78, Brutally Beaten In Home Invasion
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 78-year-old woman was critically injured during a home invasion in the Irving Park neighborhood Friday afternoon.
Family members say the elderly woman was cleaning her house before answering the door for a Spanish speaking man wearing a gold T-shirt and a red jacket. They said the man forced his way inside and suddenly began to attack her.
He took jewelry and left the woman on the back porch of her home.
A neighbor on the 4100 block of North Avers spotted the battered woman and called for help. "I wish I would have heard something sooner, I wish I could have stopped the person because I would have if I would've seen him. That's all I think about," said Deanna Harris.
The victim's daughter, Ivonne Morales, asked CBS 2 not to identity her mother but said, "I'm just wishing her a speedy recovery. I hope that there's no permanent damage and I just hope they get this person."
The victim suffered a fractured nose, bleeding on the brain and severe bruising.
Family members are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.
"We're asking if anyone knows anything -- who this perpetrator is," said community activist Andrew Holmes during a news conference Saturday evening. "Take a look in the mirror and think about your grandmother. No woman, no grandmother, no mother should go through this."
Holmes is asking pawn shops to be on alert for the woman's stolen jewelry, which includes wedding bands and a high school ring.
Lissette Martinez, another daughter of the victim, said her mother is still being monitored at Presence Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston and is under strict medical care.
Chicago Police say no one is in custody in connection with this ongoing investigation.
