PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. – A Pittsylvania County woman said she is lucky to be alive after surviving a terrifying incident over the weekend.
The 99-year-old was robbed and stabbed in her home and police are still searching for the man they say is responsible.
The woman told 10 News she has lived in the home on Pickaway Road for nearly 50 years and it was around 10 p.m. on Saturday when a masked man broke in through her basement door.
The woman said she was sitting at her kitchen table when he came up behind her, covered her eyes, threatened her with a knife, and demanded money.
She said she did not have much but led him to the bedroom to give him what she had, and after she showed him the room, he took her back to the kitchen table and told her not to move.
It wasn’t until she got back to the table in complete shock that she realized he had cut her hand badly.
Before leaving, she said the man tried to make sure she’d have no way of getting help. The woman told 10 News he cut all of her phone lines but didn’t realize she had a Life Alert necklace.
She was able to use the necklace to reach the police once he left.
After they arrived, paramedics flew the 99-year-old to a hospital in Roanoke, and deputies and K9s searched the area but had no luck.
Now, her hand is stitched up and she is going to be ok, but she said the flashbacks of that night are never-ending.
Her family is staying with her and they said they are working to beef up security around the home.
Investigators were back in the area on Monday and are offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest.
You can read Sunday’s full story on the incident here.