An elderly Texas woman was reportedly attacked by her home healthcare worker on Friday in an attempted robbery.
Lesia Ann Coco, who had formerly cared for the 85-year-old’s husband, showed up to her home unannounced on the night of Oct. 6 for the third time, saying that she wanted to find some jewelry that had gone missing from the home.
Coco then convinced the woman to drive her to an area in Arlington, where she pulled out a knife.
“She just said, ‘We’re not going for your jewelry. This is a robbery,’” the victim’s daughter told Fox News. “I’m going to kill you,” the woman said.
She was stabbed several times and beaten, the daughter added, saying that “she had quite a few injuries.”
The woman “is gonna be okay,” her daughter said, adding that “she’s a tough lady.”
The daughter explained that her mother fought off Coco for more than an hour in the car, and managed to get the knife away, after which the Coco started beating her.
The 85-year-old then started “singing a spiritual song and got a conversation about God,” the daughter added, saying it was “amazing.”
“We’re all very concerned. We’re locking our doors,” she added.
According to Fox News, Coco still has a nursing license.
“Financial, physical and emotional abuse is on the rise, if the number of arrest warrants and abuse complaints is any indication,” AARP says. “Research suggests that 1 in 10 Americans 60 and over have experienced some form of elder abuse. But even as prosecutors around the country target elder abuse, many cases go unreported.”
“Some older adults fear that if they complain, they will end up in a nursing home,” the report stated. “Those with dementia may not be able to remember that they have been abused: Studies show that more than a third of people with dementia suffer psychological or physical abuse at the hands of people providing care.”
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