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71-year-old woman brutally beaten with aluminum baseball bat after act of kindness to young man
Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun Staff

71-year-old woman brutally beaten with aluminum baseball bat after act of kindness to young man

She offered him a place to stay and he allegedly responded with unbelievable violence.

California police are searching for a man in his 20s who allegedly beat an elderly woman with an aluminum baseball bat.

The woman's family says that the 71-year-old had offered to let the young man stay at her home in Crestline in San Bernardino County.

'If it weren't for the neighbors calling the police, my mother would have bled to death alone in her home.'

Therese Garcia had met the man while she sat on her front porch, her daughter said to KNBC-TV.

The 26-year-old man told Garcia that all of his belongings had been stolen while he was camping, and she offered him space at her home. After two weeks, the man started to take over her home, leading Garcia to ask him to leave.

That's when the man got violent, according to Garcia's daughter.

"When she went to sleep that night, she just woke up to him beating her with a metal bat, and that went on for hours," said Abbie Garcia.

"She would lose consciousness and wake up a little bit," she added. "Every time she would wake up a little bit, he would come back and beat her again to the point where she finally lost consciousness fully."

The man stole the woman's keys, phone, and e-bike before fleeing.

Her daughter said that Garcia was found after the neighbors called for a wellness check from police.

"If it weren't for the neighbors calling the police, my mother would have bled to death alone in her home," she said.

RELATED: Shocking police footage shows man brutally beating victim with a baseball bat

The victim suffered injuries that included broken bones, deep lacerations, and a traumatic brain injury, according to her daughter.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office later identified the suspect as Erik Eduardo Navarro of Orange County.

"My mom didn't deserve this," Abbie Garcia added. "She was simply trying to help someone she believed was in need, something she has always done throughout her life. This time, her kindness was met with unimaginable violence."

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Carlos Garcia

Carlos Garcia

Staff Writer

Carlos Garcia is a staff writer for Blaze News.