Police have determined the cause of death of an elderly woman found dead inside her Paulsboro, N.J. home Monday night.
Investigators say Thriza Sweeten, 79, who lived alone, was last seen alive around 10 p.m. Sunday night. She was found by her daughter around 6 p.m. Monday as the daughter stopped by to check in on her mother at her home on the 1500 block of S Delaware Avenue.
"She said it looked like she was beaten, punched in the face," said Derrek Montalto, Sweeten's son-in-law. "Her eyes were puffy and she had a gash on her head."
An autopsy performed on Tuesday determined that Sweeten died from multiple injuries, including blunt force trauma, according to police. The medical examiner and investigators say that her death was a homicide.
The news of Sweeten's death shocked her quiet community.
"That lady was harmless," said Robert Jones, a family friend. "She would give you the shirt off her back."
"My mom was very nice," said Barry Sweeten, who learned of his mother's death while in the hospital. "She didn't deserve to die like this."
Friends and family say Sweeten worked as a registered nurse and most recently worked with the elderly.
Police say they have a person of interest in the case though they're not releasing the name or revealing whether that person is in custody.
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Anyone with information about Sweeten’s death should call Paulsboro Police at 856-423-1101, the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Officer major crimes unit at 856-384-5500 or text a tip starting with “GLOTIP” to 274637.
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