A house cleaner and mother-of-four died in the arms of her husband on Wednesday after she was fatally shot outside an Indianapolis home, where she mistakenly arrived for a cleaning job.
Maria Florinda Rios Perez, a 32-year-old immigrant from Guatemala, was headed to work cleaning a home with her husband in Whitestown, Indiana, on Wednesday morning when they arrived at the wrong house, the victim's brother Rudy Rios told NBC News.
Perez was Shot in the Head Just As She Tried to Open the Door Using Keys She Had
Rios, 22, said when his sister had just arrived at the house, she tried to open the door using keys she was carrying when she was shot in the head and "fell into the arms of her husband."
"It's so unjust. She was only trying to bring home the daily bread to support her family," Rios said. "She accidentally went to the wrong house, but he shouldn't have taken her life."
"She wasn't threatening, she had nothing in her hands, only those keys," he said. Rios said his sister is a mother of four whose children range in age from one to 17 years old.
"They're completely destroyed," he added.
Officers Responded to 911 Call About a 'Possible' Residential Entry
Officers responded to a 911 call in Whitestown, reporting a "'possible" residential entry in progress at a home in the Heritage subdivision" at 6:49 a.m., according to a police statement.
When officers arrived at the home, they found "an adult female who sustained a gunshot wound, along with an adult male on the front porch of the residence," police said. Attempts were made to revive the woman but she was declared dead on scene.
"It was later determined that the individuals attempting to enter the home were members of a cleaning crew who had mistakenly arrived at the wrong address," according to the Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department statement.
Investigators quickly concluded this was not a home invasion or a burglary. Police confirmed this was an isolated incident. "The loss of life is always a profound tragedy, and our hearts and prayers go out to all those affected," police said. Police pleaded with the public not to rush to any conclusions as they and Boone County prosecutors try to determine if a crime was committed.
"We understand that incidents like this can cause concern and speculation," police said. "We respectfully ask the public to place their trust in the investigative process and refrain from sharing unverified information. These cases are often complex and require time to fully understand. Misinformation can be harmful to those involved and to the integrity of the investigation."
