A 97-year old woman could only watch and listen as her north Barrie home was ransacked by intruders.
Jean Knox, who turns 98 next week, was alone, immobile in bed, terrified and helpless as her Sunnidale Road home of 67 years was vandalized and robbed overnight.
"This is so disturbing," said her son Ian. "My mother's house is absolutely trashed. She can't stay here. It's awful."
Barrie Police were called to the home around 8:45 a.m. Thursday when Knox's personal support worker showed up and discovered the damage.
Officers say the suspects forced their way in through the back door around 4:45 a.m.
"The elderly woman remembers looking at her clock," said Det. Const. Justin Frye of Investigative Services. "She was aware that people were in her house but due to her health and mobility issues she was unable to get to a phone to call 911."
The suspects entered Knox's room as she lay in bed and while causing 'significant damage' to her home, the senior was physically unhurt.
"Something like this you can imagine it would be frightening to just about anybody," said Frye, adding it's not known yet what, if anything, was taken.
The Barrie Police Forensic Identification Unit was processing the scene for evidence.
The victim's son says his parents built the house in 1950 and it's where he and his sister grew up.
"Mom is a polio victim from the 1950's and she has struggled all her life with mobility," said Ian. "She has managed still to live her life in her family home here with a lot of support and care from others but yes, she's wheelchair bound."
"She is a very resilient person and really very brave considering what she's gone through and how close these guys got to her" her son said.
Detectives are appealing to public for help and are reminding people to use social media for tips or contact crime stoppers to guarantee anonymity.
"Someone needs to make a call. Someone needs to speak out. Someone knows these guys. They have to be found before they hit someone else," implored Ian.
"Everybody's got an elderly person in their lives and everybody should be concerned about this these guys and who they might hit next."
Anyone with information is asked to call police or Crime Stoppers.
