(WBAL) Baltimore police say a woman is dead after she stopped to help a person she thought was in need.
The victim, Jacquelyn Smith, 52, was riding in a car Saturday when she saw a woman with a cardboard sign that read, “Please help me feed my baby,” and she decided to give the woman some money.
Investigators said the woman is black, about 5 feet 4 inches tall and looks to be about 20 years old. They said she wearing a brown jacket and was carrying a baby or something wrapped to look like a baby.
Smith, who was riding in the passenger seat, rolled down her window to give the woman some money when a man approached the car, thanked the family for the money and then reached into the car to grab Smith’s wallet, police said.
The man stabbed Smith in the torso before he and the woman ran away, police said.
“Right now, we’re trying to identify that suspect. He’s described as a man, possibly in his 30s, with a goatee. We also want to identify the woman that was out there asking for money,” Baltimore police Detective Jeremy Silbert said.
“It’s a heinous act. They’re using this ruse as panhandlers to get the attention of their would-be victims,” said interim Baltimore police commissioner Gary Tuggle. “We also want to caution the public about engaging with pan handlers and recognizing the fact that not all of them have honest intent. Not all of them are in real need.”
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