Neighbors Speak Out After Elderly Woman Attacked At Home In NE OKC

Oklahoma City police are looking for the person responsible for beating up a 94-year-old woman who lives alone.

According to the police report, all officers have to go on is what the woman can remember and two phone calls that were made to her home around the time of the attack.

Police were called to the 2100 block of North Rhode Island Avenue after the woman's nephew found her lying injured inside her home.

Neighbors and loved ones say the nephew checks in on her on a daily basis, and the people who live in the neighborhood try to watch out for each other.

But it was after the nephew left that the woman was attacked.

Those who know the woman say this stretch of street is normally pretty quiet, but is surrounded by criminal activity that frequents the Northeast side of town.

“It’s very hard to even accept the fact that someone did that to her,” said Rosslyn Tilly, who’s elderly mother lives next door to the house where the attack happened. “That someone would actually beat her and leave her to die that's what they did they left her there to die.”

Rosslyn Tilly has known 94-year-old Ruth Smith all her life.

“Miss Ruth is the sweetest little old lady you will ever know,” said Tilly. “She just tends to her flowers and tends to her garden kind and speaks to everybody.”

That's why everyone living along this stretch of North Rhode Island Avenue is so upset about what happened.

The police report states Smith got a call to her home saying someone was coming over, but she did not recognize the man who walked through her door.

The report states the man punched her in the head and face several times, but that she fought back, hitting him with her phone

“Why you going to do an elderly person like this,” said Hassan Abdul, who says he's Smith’s cousin.

Abdul had no idea she had been attacked until he showed up Thursday, to take out her trash.

“And I don't know why somebody would do something like this with as good as she has been to people,” said Abdul. “All these years helping people out and doing little things for them.”

“Whoever you are-you'll pay,” said Tilly. “And you need to be brought to justice.”

Police say if you have any information that can help people find the person responsible, contact Crime Stoppers at 405-235-7300.

Smith is still recovering at the hospital but is expected to survive the attack.