Grandmother Candy Arthurs passed away after sacrificing herself to save her grandchildren from being lured into an alley by a convicted child predator, according to multiple reports.
The incident took place June 23 in Columbus, Ohio. Arthurs was stabbed in the chest and died five weeks later.
According to KTRK, a convicted sex offender named Kristopher Amos approached Arthurs' grandkids and asked them to help him find a missing drone in an alley. The man had reportedly lived in the neighborhood for years, but neighbors didn't know he was a convicted sex offender.
The reason no one knew had to do with the classification of Amos' prior offense — as a Tier 1 offender, Amos was not subjected to community notification.
He was busted in 2010 for "enticing children in a YMCA shower," KTRK reported.
Arthurs was stabbed in the chest when she confronted the man. She collapsed at the front door of her house and identified her assailant as the man in the alley.
Her daughter, Amanda Gibson, witnessed it all and made a heartbreaking statement about her mother.
"She always said she would die for them and that's exactly what she did," she told WBNS. "She's definitely a hero. It's hard because she lost her life but she saved both of my kids' lives that night."
"My son and my daughter ran into the house and screamed 'call 9-1-1!'" Gibson told the news station. Her 7-year-old son was also stabbed, but has recovered from his injury.
Gibson said her son is "very traumatized."
"We're trying to get him in counseling now because he won't come out at night," she told WBNS. "If I come walking through the house at night, he'll come and grab (me) and be right on my side."
The grieving daughter hopes Amos rots in prison and "never sees the light of day again."
That may very well be the case.
Amos has been charged with murder and two counts of felonious assault, and his bond has been set at $2.5 million.
Gibson has started a GoFundMe campaign for her mother to help the family pay for expenses. She announced Thursday that her mother passed away the day before.
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