3 males busted for robbing, beating 81-year-old woman in home invasion

Ramirez | MacPhail | Melton

BISBEE — Three males have been arrested in connection with a home invasion and robbery in which an 81-year-old female was terrorized in the dark and beaten repeatedly with a length of pipe.

Daniel E. Ramirez, 33, of Tombstone, and Ryan C. Melton, 24, of Huachuca City were booked into the Cochise County Jail on felony charges of aggravated assault, kidnapping, burglary, theft and robbery.

Those suspects are each being held on a $100,000 bond.

Ian J. MacPhail, 29, of Hereford, was also arrested in connection with the case. He was charged with being a prohibited possessor and was released on a signature bond.

The victim called 911 at about 11:49 Monday and reported that three men broke into her home in the Palominas area, said a release from the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s deputies and Border Patrol agents were sent to her home. The woman was cooperative with them as they interviewed her.

She told them three men broke into her house by shattering a patio glass door. They wore bandanas covering their faces, latex gloves and dark hooded jackets.

The three males repeatedly struck her with a length of pipe to gain her compliance while taking the jewelry from her that she was wearing, the sheriff’s release said.

The intruders all spoke English but tried to cover their voices in fake accents, the victim told police. They  also stole the contents of her purse and other items from her home.

The victim was also able to provide additional significant details regarding the suspects and their actions on the night of the incident, to include that the suspects turned off the power to her home before entering and may have attempted to cut her telephone line as well.

The intruder wielded flashlights as they terrorized the elderly woman.

Sheriff’s detectives conducting an investigation also found other evidence at her residence.

On Thursday, after following leads from the scene and information from the victim, suspects were identified and seven search warrants were served in locations in the Hereford/Sierra Vista area. The search warrants resulted in items identified in connection with the home invasion, in addition to weapons, and narcotics.

This story will be updated.

About ADINews Service 1692 Articles
Under the leadership of Arizona Daily Independent Editor In Chief Huey Freeman, our team of staff reporters work tirelessly to bring the latest, most accurate news to our readers.