Addison PD investigating "possible murder" of elderly woman
ADDISON, Texas - Addison police are investigating the death of an elderly woman found outside her apartment. She may have been murdered.
Police are having a hard time tracking down a family member to positively identify the woman.
The woman in her 80s was found dead around 6:30 p.m. Monday in a breezeway at the Communities of Bent Tree Apartments, near Keller Springs Road and the tollway.
The woman was confined to a wheelchair. Police would not discuss the details of her death but said it was not natural.
Investigators are treating the case as a possible homicide while they wait for the medical examiner to determine an official cause.
There is a person of interest. Police want to talk to a man was seen running from the area near Westgrove Drive and Ledgemont Lane around.
Some at the apartment complex recalled interacting with the victim who they say was outgoing and well-known.
"She used to set up by the office. She'd come out in her wheelchair. She'd set up next to the flowers and the trees,” said neighbor Stephen Engelking. “Kind of sit out there in the sun and talked to people as they came by and just enjoyed being out."
Some say the woman had caregivers who helped take care of her and a healthcare advocate who is also a neighbor.
Police point out there was no camera system in the breezeway where the woman was discovered.
Police encourage anyone who may have a camera recording in the area of the apartment complex between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. to contact them right away.
"There's no way she could have defended herself,” Engleking said. “I mean probably nothing she had would be worth killing her over.”
Officers are talking to neighbors and others who might have seen something. Anyone with information is urged to contact police.
“If anybody in the area happens to have a dash camera that would have recorded movement, please call the Addison Police Department. Let us know,” said Dan Reed, a spokesman for the town.
The woman’s name has not yet been released.