TIPTON COUNTY, Tenn. — Cold-blooded robbers used the cold weather as an excuse to get inside a woman’s home.
Tipton County deputies said the criminals couldn’t just take her stuff and leave – they also raped her.
Friends said the victim is very caring, which is why she let a stranger into her house.
It happened on St. Paul Road, a rural area in the county near Mason, Tennessee.
The 55-year-old woman told deputies a man knocked on her door Monday, claiming he fell on ice and needed to use her bathroom.
“Being a country lady, she’s like, ‘Come on in,'” Nathan Hinson said.
Hinson has known the woman for years, and said she’ll give the shirt off her back to strangers.
“She is a laid-back, old country-fashioned woman. You want to come in and eat green beans and casserole, that’s her,” Hinson said.
Deputies said the man barged out of the bathroom, waving a gun and shouting for his buddy to come inside.
The two men then forced the woman into her bedroom, raped her, and put her in a closet.
Deputies said the men stole cash and phones, and took off in the victim’s car.
“I hope to goodness they catch those people, because that was uncalled for,” Hinson said.
Neighbors told deputies they saw two men huddled under an umbrella walking down St. Paul Road. Deputies found that same umbrella in the victim’s yard.
Unfortunately, no one got a good description, and deputies think they could be anywhere.
The victim’s car, a gray Kia Rio sedan, was found down the road. Apparently the criminals had a getaway car.
“We’re asking for help in identifying the suspects in this case from citizens. Due to ice still being on the victim’s windshield when it was recovered, detectives have determined that the suspects would have left the area with assistance or in a different vehicle parked in the neighborhood,” Sheriff J.T. Pancho Chumley said.
Hinson and other neighbors are standing guard and making sure no one else takes advantage of anyone in their town.
“She was a nice lady that got taken advantage of, and I think those suckers should rot in hell,” Hinson said.
Deputies said the victim did a rape kit, and she’s OK physically.
They aren’t sure if this is related to other invasions in the Mid-South.
If you know anything, call the Tipton County tip line at (901) 475-3307 or email tips to sheriff@tiptonco.com.