Woman collapses, dies; then someone steals her purse
The act was “cold-blooded,” Carolyn Kell said.
Around 7:15 a.m. Saturday, an approximately 50-year-old woman was about to walk into the Inter-Faith Villa Courts building when she collapsed and died of natural causes.
About 16 minutes later, an unknown woman around 25 years old walked around her body and stole her purse.
“To not even check if she was breathing is what gets me,” said Kell, marketing director for Inter-Faith Ministries.
Police are looking for the woman, described as 5-feet-5 and 130 pounds with long hair. She wore black pants and a dark-colored sports jacket with two white stripes on the sleeves, according to a witness on the scene.
The first call to 911 was made by one of the Villa’s residents about 10 minutes after the theft, Kell said.
When first responders arrived in the 900 block of North Market, a person approached and told police about the theft, said Wichita police Sgt. Nikki Woodrow.
Anyone with information about the woman is being asked to call investigations at 316-268-4136 or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.
The woman who died has been identified, Woodrow said, but police are not yet releasing her name.
Stan Finger: 316-268-6437, @StanFinger
This story was originally published April 19, 2016 at 3:57 PM with the headline "Woman collapses, dies; then someone steals her purse ."