2 arrested after 97-year-old woman found dead in Sacramento-area home
ARDEN-ARCADE — Two people were arrested after a 97-year-old woman was found dead at a Sacramento-area home, authorities said.
The scene was along American River Drive, east of the Fair Oaks Boulevard and Watt Avenue intersection.
A concerned neighbor called the sheriff's office to request a welfare check due to not having seen the woman for a couple of days, authorities said. When deputies arrived on January 24 to check on the woman, two people opened the door.
Deputies contacted the woman's grandson, 40-year-old Brian Wiggins and his girlfriend 31-year-old Dozsha Beckwith. Wiggins said his grandmother got into an Uber to visit his father, who was living in an assisted living facility, according to deputies.
However, deputies said they saw a section of carpet that had been removed, several safes in the living room that appeared to have been broken into and a ransacked home.
Authorities then detained Wiggins and Beckwith and searched the home. They then found a vehicle registered to Wiggins parked inside the garage, where they said they found Wiggins' grandmother dead inside the trunk.
The woman has since been identified by the Sacramento County coroner as 97-year-old Margaret Elizabeth Wiggins.
During an investigation, deputies said they determined the two men forced their way into the home, looking for a place to stay. But when the victim told them to leave, deputies said the couple beat the victim to death.
Brian Wiggins was arrested for murder and Dozsha Beckwith was arrested for burglary and accessory after the fact. They are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
