She fell asleep watching a movie on Saturday morning. And when the Fremont woman woke up, she saw four men standing around her bed, two on each side. The victim who spoke to NBC Bay Area on condition of anonymity on Tuesday evening said she started screaming as they tried to grab her.
"One of them put the pillow over my face and put me on my stomach and said don't look at us," the woman said.
The woman said the four men went through her drawers and closets. What they were exactly looking for, she doesn't know. But she said she kept on screaming...terrified at what was happening.
"Another man came around the bed fast and he was angry that I wouldn't stop screaming and he hit me really hard, three times in the face," she said.
The woman said the four suspects got in through an unlocked door and were inside the home for about 15 minutes before running way. The men only took her cell phone - and oddly,nothing else.
The woman then ran across to a neighbors' home across the street. They did not recognize her at first, she said, because of her bloodied face and swollen right eye. As she put a frozen vegetables bag to her eye to cut down the swelling, her neighbor called 911. Fremont police arrived quickly, but the suspects were long gone. The woman went to the hospital and returned to her home a few days later.
The horrific experience is something she can't get out of her mind.
"I have nightmares pretty much every night. I see them and what's happening all over. And I'm jumpy. Any little noise scares me," she said.
Her sense of security is now gone.
"People who I didn't know came into my home and went through my things and hurt me terribly and made me unsafe in my home which I felt safe here for probably almost 20 years," she said.
Fremont police investigators released the following descriptions of the suspects along with two sketches:
Suspect # 1 Described as a Mexican male, late 30's to early 40's, middle age, 5'06"-5'08", stocky build with a muscular chest area. He had dark brown medium length hair and a round shaped face. He was wearing a light color, possibly yellow, short sleeve crew neck t-shirt and dark, possibly black, normal fitting jeans. The jeans appeared to be well worn, but not ratty, and may have been work type pants. During the incident he held a black semi-automatic pistol in his right hand. The pistol may have been a compact size and was described as smaller than a full frame. He was not wearing gloves or a mask.
Suspect #2 Described as a Mexican male, and the youngest of the four suspects, appearing to be in his early 20's. He was approximately 5'06", appearing shorter than suspect #1 by 1-2", thin build and a long thin face. Suspect 2 may have had silver color braces on his teeth. Suspect 2 had shorter length dark brown hair and brown eyes. His skin was of medium complexion. He was wearing a gray color long sleeve t-shirt or hoody (hooded sweatshirt) that was a little loose and dark color jeans. He was holding a large full roll of gray duct tape in his right hand.
Suspect # 3 Described as possibly a Mexican male in his late 30's to early 40's. He was approximately 5'07", stock build and big (muscular) across the chest with short dark hair and a round face. He was wearing a light color short sleeve shirt and used his right fist when he struck the victim.
Suspect # 4 Described as a Mexican male in is Late 30's to early 40's, 5'06"-5'07, with a stocky build and a round face. He had brown hair and brown eyes and was wearing a solid color burgundy short sleeve shirt and dark color jeans. He was the first to speak to the victim.
Local
Anyone with information related to this crime is encouraged to contact us via email at fremontpolice@fremont.gov, via one of our online submit-a-tip resources at www.fremontpolice.org/tip or by calling our Investigative Unit at 510-790-6900.