DANVILLE, Va. – A Danville community is asking for justice Monday after an elderly woman was found dead in her home over the weekend.
Police say they found 88-year-old Elizabeth Adkins at 368 Juless St. around 11 a.m. Sunday morning.
“It’s just sad,” neighbor Destiny Surrett says. “She was 88-years-old. There was nothing she could have done to defend herself.”
Many neighbors like Surrett say they can’t imagine who would do something like this, let alone to someone like Adkins who many called “sweet” and “kind.”
“What could she have possibly done? What reason would anyone have,” neighbor Cara Reese asked. “Was it someone she trusted? Was it a crime of opportunity?”
That’s a big part of what police are still trying to figure out. Investigators went to her home Sunday morning and found Adkins unresponsive.
Police say they immediately started a homicide investigation based on the evidence at the scene. Police described the evidence as “horrific.”
“I was scared because we’ve been here all weekend and never knew anything was wrong,” Reese says. “We never heard anything or had any indication that our neighbor was now dead.”
Some neighbors say they’re so frightened, they’re even looking to move. While they say they want whoever did this off the streets, they’re more concerned about finding peace for the family.
“Whoever did it, please come forward and give some justice to this woman,” Surrett adds.
Medical examiners are performing an autopsy on Adkins.
Stick with WSLS for updates on this investigation.