A 71-year-old grandmother in Crestline, California, was left with life-threatening injuries after a stranger she took in beat her with a metal baseball bat. Therese Garcia welcomed Erik Eduardo Navarro, 26, into her home after he claimed to have been robbed while camping, but he attacked her while she slept once she asked him to leave, only stopping when he believed she was dead.

Navarro reportedly beat Garcia for hours, striking her again whenever she regained consciousness, before fleeing with her phone, credit cards, keys and e-bike. Deputies found her on 25 August after neighbours requested a welfare check; she suffered a traumatic brain injury, a brain bleed, multiple deep lacerations and several broken bones, and remains in hospital without health insurance. Authorities are still searching for Navarro, whom Garcia's daughter fears could kill someone if not caught.