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Texas Grandmother Slain While Waiting For An Early Morning Gym Class In What Police Say Was Robbery Gone Wrong
Police in Houston say they're looking for several suspects who ambushed 62-year-old Elsa Mikeska outside of Life Fit Personal Fitness Studio, only one hour after they attempted a carjacking.
A 62-year-old Texas grandmother was gunned down in front of a gym in what authorities have described as an attempted robbery gone wrong, and now her loved ones are pleading for the public’s help to identify her killers.
Elsa Mikeska was ambushed Thursday in the parking lot of Life Fit Personal Fitness Studio in Houston. She was on her way to a 5:00 a.m. fitness class when at 4:50 a.m., an unidentified man parked his vehicle near the victim’s car, according to ABC 13. Two passengers exited the SUV and confronted Mikeska, who then ran towards the gym before being fatally shot.
Mikeska was pronounced dead on the scene.
The suspects described as men in their early 20s, fled in a white 2000-2007 Chevrolet Suburban, according to KHOU 11. Police said they are “clean-cut and skinny” and seem to be familiar with the area.
“I need all Houstonians to step up and bring forth some information,” said Houston Police Department Chief Troy Finner, according to ABC 13. “She shouldn’t have lost her life. We’re not going to stand by and let them win.”
When Elsa failed to return home that morning, her husband, Steven Mikeska, became worried.
“I knew something bad happened,” Steven told KHOU 11. “To see her laying [sic] there on the concrete, she died by herself.”
Houston Police have published a surveillance video of the suspects parking near Mikeska’s car and exiting the vehicle; one of them seemed to exit from the backseat. The video then cuts to the aftermath of the shooting, as the suspects fled the scene in their SUV.
“All of us need to participate in the resolution of crime,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner at a news conference Monday. “We all have a role to play.”
Mayor Turner added $10,000 to the preexisting $5,000 reward offered by Crime Stoppers.
Only one hour earlier, police say the suspects attempted to carjack another woman just two miles away from the gym, according to ABC 13. The carjacking failed because the car was inoperative, and the woman ran to safety. The men did not open fire.
A security video obtained by KHOU 11 showed the attempted carjacking victim going to a neighbor for help.
Mikeska wasn't as fortunate.
“She wanted to see her grandbabies grow up,” said Mikeska’s daughter, Harley Mikeska, according to KHOU 11. “And they took that from her.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at (713) 222-8477.
