14-year-old beat and sexually assaulted 91-year-old woman as she prayed, Florida cops say

A 91-year-old woman woke up in bed to a “dark shadow” that jumped on her, beat her and sexually assaulted her as she prayed for help, Florida authorities said.

Deputies pledged to find the person responsible for the “unimaginable violence,” and now a 14-year-old boy has been arrested.

McClatchy News is not identifying the teen because it’s unclear if he is being charged as an adult. His attorney information is not available in Marion County court records.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of the Reddick teen on June 17, following nine days of investigation and a cash reward to anyone with information leading to the suspect’s arrest.

Shortly before midnight on June 8, the 91-year-old woman woke up in bed to see a stooped figure coming down the hallway toward her bedroom, according to an arrest affidavit.

He jumped on her and punched her in the face as she tried to fight back, she told deputies in the hospital. She began praying “dear God, please help me,” then he told her “shut up,” she recounted.

He tore off her underwear and sexually assaulted her before eventually leaving, according to deputies.

She had no idea who may have attacked her, and because of the low light in her bedroom she couldn’t provide a detailed description.

When investigators interviewed her in the hospital, they found her face swollen and bruised, with blood still on her face. They asked her to review her entire day leading up to the assault, and she mentioned one of the neighborhood boys visited her, and they sat on her porch talking, deputies said.

That boy was the 14-year-old later accused of attacking her, according to investigators.

As they interviewed neighbors of the small community, they spoke with the boy and his legal guardian, who both said they were asleep at the time, deputies said.

But one of the neighbors showed deputies footage from his security camera that recorded someone jogging who looked similar to the teen, investigators said.

Deputies spoke with the teen again and didn’t see any visible marks on his hands, but they got permission from his guardian to take a DNA sample from his mouth.

Investigators submitted the DNA evidence from the scene as well as the teen’s sample for testing and continued to ask for the public’s help identifying the suspect.

“To the person responsible, I will find out who you are,” Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said.

On June 17, investigators said they received lab results that indicated the teen’s DNA may be on the woman’s underwear from that night.

They spoke with the teen again, at which point he said he was the one responsible, according to deputies.

“It came as a shock that any individual would commit such an act on a 91-year-old, but it is truly disturbing when we see the young age of the arrestee,” Woods said in a news release. “Although I firmly believe he should be held accountable for his crime, as a father, my compassion goes out to his family.”

The teen is charged with sexual battery and burglary with assault or battery, according to the affidavit.

Reddick is a town of fewer than 500 people about a 90-mile drive northwest from Orlando.

This story was originally published June 18, 2024 at 2:54 PM with the headline "14-year-old beat and sexually assaulted 91-year-old woman as she prayed, Florida cops say."