Grandmother Who Was Allegedly Brutally Raped, Beaten And Abandoned Outside Church Dies

A 63-year-old grandmother from Detroit passed away after she was allegedly raped, thrashed and abandoned outside a vacant church.

Her family said that she passed away on Dec. 6 after fighting for her life, reported FOX 2 Detroit. Her son, Diwann Bryant, said that the "monsters just took my mom away from me… for no reason." He called the horrifying incident "terrible."

According to police, the elderly woman was found naked outside a church on Nov. 14 morning, according to M Live. A stranger had heard her crying for help outside the church.

Detroit Police Chief James White said at a press conference last month that it was a "crime that really shocked the city."

In connection with the assault, two suspects were arrested, but charges have only been announced against Elvin Shepard, 44. Last month, he was charged with assault with intent to commit murder, but there is a possibility that his charges will be upgraded to murder. The investigation is ongoing so sexual assault charges had not been filed. The second suspect was already in custody for another crime when cops figured out there was a connection between them and the victim.

White said that police believe the grandmother knew the men behind the assault, and they don't think the attack was random. Shepard and the other man had a conversation with her before they physically and sexually assaulted her.

Diana Edgar, the victim’s sister, asked how could someone do like this to a human being. She said that she promised her sister before she died that she would do everything in her power to see that "justice was taken."

Her family created a GoFundMe page that has set $7,500 as its goal. Nearly $20,000 has been raised so far. According to the page, she was a friend, mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, mother-in-law and sister whose life was taken in a way that "you would never imagine on the day she turned 63 years old." On her birthday on Nov. 15, she met a "monster in disguise as a human being that sexually assaulted, beat, dragged and left her partially unclothed in 30 degrees weather in the middle of the night on a dark corner all alone." The tragedy has "nearly destroyed" their family in ways that's unimaginable.