The 75-year-old grandmother found tied up and dead inside her apartment died from "positional asphyxiation," the Douglasville police Chief said Wednesday afternoon. No suspects have been identified in the woman's death, but investigators are hopeful a $5,000 reward will generate tips.
“This is horrific,” Douglasville police Chief Chris Womack said. “Anybody that could take advantage of somebody in the condition that this poor lady was in, I assure you would hurt you or I if given half a chance.”
An autopsy conducted Wednesday at the GBI Crime Lab determined Florene Duke died due to a lack of oxygen from being bound and having her face covered, Womack said.
Duke was found dead Monday night inside her Countryside Manor apartment after a relative couldn’t reach her, according to police. Duke had been hog-tied and television sets were taken from her apartment, according to police.
Relatives said Duke was a "grandmama" to many, who was always willing to help others.
“If she had $10, she’d give you $5 of it,” a grandson, Chris Duke, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Florene Duke lived alone with her small dog, but didn’t hesitate to offer her apartment to people who needed a place to stay, her family said.
As the investigation entered its third day, Douglasville police and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office announced a $5,000 reward to find the person responsible, while officers continued to canvas the Selman Drive area where the woman lived. Detectives are working several leads in the case.
“We want them and we want them in jail,” Womack said. “And we want to protect our community from savages that are out here taking advantage of our citizens in the worst kind of way.”
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Douglasville police.
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