A California man and his girlfriend have been arrested in connection with the murder of his 97-year-old grandmother last week.
A neighbor requested a welfare check on the grandmother on Friday, saying they hadn’t seen her in a while, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said. Deputies arrived at the home and were greeted by the grandson, 40-year-old Brian Wiggins, and his 31-year-old girlfriend, Dozsha Beckwith.
Wiggins told them that his grandmother had left in an Uber to visit his father at an assisted living facility.
But the deputies weren’t so sure. They reported that the house appeared to have been ransacked, several safes were broken into, and a section of carpet had been removed.
The deputies detained Wiggins and Beckwith while they continued their investigation. They eventually found the grandmother dead in the trunk of a vehicle registered to Wiggins that was parked in the garage.
Investigators say they believe Wiggins and Beckwith forced their way into the home at some point, looking for a place stay. The grandmother objected and told them to leave, so Wiggins beat her to death.
He has been charged with murder, and Beckwith is charged with burglary and accessory after the fact. They are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
The county coroner’s office will release the victim’s identity, the sheriff’s office said.
