65 Year-Old Woman is Stabbed by Grandson; He Steals her Money

A sixty-five-year-old woman is attacked by her own grandson while she is resting inside her house in the village of Trinidad, Orange Walk. Fernanda Garcia has lived alongside her husband in a small house at the entrance of the village for decades.  She lost her sight over twenty years ago and in the village; she is affectionately known as “Nandita” and is well respected.  Garcia recounted the horrible ordeal which left her traumatized and injured.  The grandson, who was staying with her temporarily, had asked for five dollars.  He didn’t get it and on Wednesday night, he became violent.  After assaulting and injuring Garcia, he ran away with money she had on her.  Dalila Ical was in the village and spoke directly to Garcia. Here is that story.

Dalila Ical, Reporting

On Wednesday night, the unthinkable happened to Fernanda Garcia, when her grandson, twenty-three-year-old Henry Gideon attacked her. He was staying with his grandparents for about two weeks. The sixty-five year-old woman told us that she was resting in her hammock and Gideon was walking around in the house. Her husband was asleep. According to Garcia, without saying a word Gideon attacked her.

Fernanda Garcia, Stabbing Victim [Translated]

“Then I felt someone threw themselves on me and I thought it was my husband. When he threw himself on me he immediately grabbed me here and here and I couldn’t speak. I tried to speak but I couldn’t. He was choking me.”

Garcia fell from the hammock onto the ground and lost consciousness.

Fernanda Garcia

Fernanda Garcia [Translated]

“When I woke up all my clothes was like this. I thought, but my clothes was intact. Then I remembered my money that I had tucked here and I realized that he took it. Then, I know that he sleeps here and his luggage is there, I checked and it was not there.”

The radio was on high. She turned it off and checked the back door; it was closed. The front door was open. Still disoriented, she decided to go out through the back door and holding on to the walls of her house; she came back in through the front door. After locking both doors she went inside her room and called on her sleeping husband.

Fernanda Garcia [Translated]

“He asked me why don’t I lie down. I told him look at me, I don’t what is wrong with me. What’s wrong he asked. Get up, I told him, I don’t know what happened to me. When I touched here it was all…I felt it sticky and here hurt me and I could pull…I kept thinking what happened to me? I don’t know how I remembered, how I woke up.”

Henry Gideon

Her husband went to look for Gideon and that is when neighbours were alerted and they called the police. At least two men went in search for Gideon but could not locate him.

Chairlady Ariani Alfaro was among those who rushed over. She says they found Garcia bloodied and her clothes torn. Upon questioning her further, Alfaro says Garcia revealed her grandson had also ripped off her underwear.

Ariani Alfaro, Chairlady, Trinidad Village

“She said that her grandson take off her underwear but no sexual abuse happened.”

Dalila Ical

“So she was checked?”

Ariani Alfaro

“Yes she was checked and it was all clean with her.”

Ariani Alfaro

Dalila Ical

“But so you think that was his intention?”

Ariani Alfaro

“Yes I think that was his intention. Why was he going to do that? It was a really, really sad situation last night.”

The medical checkup revealed that while the injuries were superficial, at least one wound could have been fatal.

Ariani Alfaro

“The doctor said it could be fatal because it was like three inches inside her chest. We didn’t see that wound only this one. But when we reached the hospital we found out there was two. The doctor said that the stab wound went like this and if it were straight maybe she would have been dead at this moment.”

Garcia was released this morning from the hospital. She says she believes he was after her money.

Fernanda Garcia [Translated]

“He was behaving well but now, last night is when he did his evil.”

Dalila Ical

“Had he asked you for money before?”

Fernanda Garcia [Translated]

“That night he was asking me for five dollars and I told him I don’t have and that his grandfather had spent all of it so he didn’t take it or see it. When I laid in the hammock, I did not know he would do me that.”

Dalila Ical

“Do you think he attacked you for your money?”

Fernanda Garcia [Translated]

“Yes because I had everything in my clothes because I didn’t have any save anywhere else.”

The family reports Gideon took three hundred dollars from his grandmother. Immediately after the incident, the Village Council published a notice on their Facebook page seeking assistance in locating the perpetrator.

Ariani Alfaro

“We want to alert all the villagers to help us and to be careful too because all of us are frightened with what is happening because it is the first time this is happening here in the village.”

Dalila Ical

“I imagine it’s a really shocking thing, a grandson attacking his grandmother.”

Ariani Alfaro

“Yes. That is a very sad, sad thing that happened and we want justice. We want to have peace in our village so that everybody can sleep well and not be frightened to go out.”

Police say they are also looking for the suspect.

Joseph Myvett

ACP Joseph Myvett, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch

“She has not yet given a statement but we are seeking this person and the police are in the process of interviewing her to decide whether or not she is going to proceed with court action against this family member.”

Alfaro says they will keep monitoring Garcia to ensure she remains safe.

Ariani Alfaro

“Anybody that sees that person to please contact the police because we want justice for Misses Fernanda because all of us in this village, we love her a lot.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Dalila Ical.