UDPATE: Elderly Woman May Have Been Murdered For Secret Cash Stash
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - An elderly woman was murdered, and neighbors say it was because she was hiding cash.
Nearly 24 hours after finding the victim, police finally cleared the crime scene at the Willow Tree Apartments in the 4300 block of Norwood Avenue.
On Friday, the Sacramento County Coroner's Office identified the victim as Kia Vue, 77. She died of strangulation and blunt force head injuries.
Neighbors painted the picture of a sweet, 70-year-old old lady who smiled plenty, but said little. By all accounts, she had no enemies.
So, who would harm her? Someone, neighbors say, who knew about her secret cash.
Police won't say what they found beyond her front door.
"I can't even imagine who in their right mind would do something like that," neighbor David Elledge said. "That's a sick person, and I hope you catch his a**."
Shocked neighbors are hearing the same rumor; the little old lady who mostly kept to herself was hiding a secret stash of money in upstairs Apartment C.
"She didn't believe in banks," said neighbor Angel Serrato. "She kept her money in the house, so I guess someone just put a lick on her, you know?"
Rumors are swirling that someone forced their way in and used a knife on the elderly woman in what may have become a grisly murder scene.
Neighbors say the went to a casino Tuesday night, but the next morning she wasn't answering her phone.
Family members made the gruesome discovery Thursday night.
"She don't talk to nobody. She don't socialize. She don't bother nobody. So sad that it happened to her," said Serrato.
Detectives confirm her body had obvious signs of trauma, but refused to reveal evidence collected during an unusual marathon crime scene investigation. The CSI investigators suited up from head to toe, careful not to contaminate the scene.
The crime tape is down, but the investigation is far from over.
