88-year-old woman brutally beaten at San Francisco park
SAN FRANCISCO -- An 88-year old woman was found bloodied and beaten nearly to death at a park in Visitacion Valley in San Francisco. Her family believes elderly Asians are becoming targets for crime and are asking the public for help.
"We don't recognize her. She still has not come out of a coma. She is still in critical condition-- the level of brutality against this elderly woman that can't defend herself. I don't know who in their right mind could have done this to her," says one of Yik Oi Huang's granddaughters who was so emotional she did not want to be identified.
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A tenant of Huang's reported her missing early Tuesday morning. Sasanna Yee, another one of Huang's granddaughters says her grandmother was very active and had a daily routine of walking in the park then getting breakfast along nearby Leland Street.
When her father went to the park to help police search, an overturned recycling bin at the playground caught his eye.
"He thought it was a pile of old clothes near the garbage bin. Upon coming closer, he saw a body and the body was my grandmother. Her pants were down, her belly exposed-- it definitely looked like there was some shuffling."
The beating was so brutal, she was unrecognizable and choking on her own blood.
"I'm still processing," says Yee.
Huang's other granddaughter says the family believes older Asians are easy targets for crime because they keep valuables at home. Especially with the Chinese New Year fast approaching. In addition to Huang's jewelry being stolen, her house keys were as well.
While the family is grateful for Supervisor Shamann Walton for visiting her in the hospital, for the community meeting planned for the coming days and vowing for more bi-lingual police patrols in the area, they believe education among seniors is key.
"There needs to be a change in the mindset on how we communicate to Asian seniors. This is not the way to keep your valuables," says Yee.
In the meantime, they pray. Hoping their grandmother pulls through. They also have a message for the suspect.
"I hope they think about what they did-- to think this could happen again or be repeated keeps us up at night."
San Francisco Police tell ABC7 News the investigation is ongoing and have not yet released a suspect description. They're currently reviewing surveillance video and are asking the public if they know anything about this crime or have home video footage that may help to please come forward.
