A 78-year-old Chicago grandmother was beaten in her home, and ended up in the ICU — now she’s speaking out

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After being released from the intensive care unit, the 78-year-old grandmother who was beaten in her home earlier this month is now speaking out about her assailants.

The woman’s family requested her identity not be revealed for fear of her life as she spoke out saying she hopes her assailant is captured and punished, according to NBC.

The attack took place during a home invasion at 1:15 p.m., May 19. The woman was cleaning her home when a man approached her door and later, brutally beat her.

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“Apparently she said that her back door was ajar because she was cleaning the kitchen,” Ivonne Morales, the woman’s daughter, told NBC. “Then the guy kind of peeked in and said something about ‘Is there an apartment for rent?’ and my mom said, ‘On the third floor.’ She thought he was walking away so she just continued doing what she was doing and apparently he attacked her from behind.”

After the attack, a neighbor called 911 upon seeing the woman with a bloody towel held to her head. She was taken to Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston in critical condition where she was then placed in a medically-induced coma, according to police.

Lissette Martinez, the victim’s daughter, revealed that her mother suffered from a fractured nose, bleeding on the brain and stitches on the eye that could potentially leave her without vision, according to NBC. On Saturday, she remained sedated, but began speaking out about what happened.

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“She kept saying ‘he told me not to look at him,’ and then she closes her eyes,” Martinez told NBC. “Why should she go through this just for some jewelry? I mean, can you imagine how she feels right now? She can’t see, she’s traumatized probably.”

The woman faces a long road to recovery as the family waits for CAT scan results to assess the bleeding on her brain. Family members told NBC she is the kindest woman they know and, seeing as she stands under 5’ tall, she would have let the thief take anything he wanted without a fight.

The theft was minor, but the injuries the woman has sustained were traumatic as she continues to recover from the senseless attack.

“How can anybody do this to an elderly woman,” Morales asked NBC. “She can’t do anything.”

Police have not yet taken anyone into custody on the case, but the offender has been described as a tall Hispanic man wearing glasses and a red cap. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is encouraged to call the detectives on the case at (312) 744-8263.

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