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Coroner: Elwood Woman Was Beaten, Stabbed

Last updated on Friday, July 11, 2014

(ELWOOD) - Elwood Police say a 66-year-old woman who was found dead in her home Tuesday night was beaten and stabbed.

The coroner released Linda Speer's cause of death Thursday.

Investigators believe the murder took place sometime late Sunday night into early Monday afternoon. Neighbors tell Eyewitness News her daughter hadn't heard from her and came to check in late Tuesday night. That's when she found her mother's body.

Speer's home in the 1800 block of North C Street remains roped off as a crime scene.

Speer, 66, was a great grandmother. Her neighbors were shocked by her death.

"If you needed her last ten dollars she would give it to you she wouldn't hurt a flea," said neighbor Judy Criscione.

That's a common feeling among those who knew Speer.

"Linda was a real nice person. She would do anything for anybody she was help with everybody and anybody. I don't know maybe that wasn't a good thing in this situation," Bill Huntsman said.

Speer routinely came across the street for coffee, but hadn't shown up since before the holiday weekend.

"By Tuesday I got a funny feeling something was wrong," Criscione said.

Now detectives try to piece together what happened and when, all while neighbors watch and wait.

"My mother lives in the neighborhood real close and I'm concerned for my mother and will be taking extra precautions because of that," Huntsman said.

"I don't know who would do this or why they would do this I can't figure it out she has a wonderful family and kids," Criscione said.

The Madison County Coroner confirmed that foul play is suspected in Speer's death. An autopsy was performed for 3:00 pm Wednesday. The results of the autopsy say that Speer died of blunt force trauma to head and multiple traumatic sharp injuries to the chest.

Police continue talking to witnesses.

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