Citizen Crime Watch Blog

Bywater stabbing victim identified
The Times-Picayune
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
By Ramon Vargas

The New Orleans coroner’s office on Tuesday identified the 32-year-old woman found dead in her Bywater home Monday morning.

Jessica L. Hawk, a 32-year-old native of Ohio, died from stab wounds, according to John Gagliano, the coroner’s chief investigator.

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Pancake House owner dies after beating in her home
Information reward goes up to $10,000
Friday, May 30, 2008By Allen Powell II
The Times-Picayune

As family, friends and customers mourned the death of Elizabeth McDaniel, authorities boosted by a large cash reward for information in the case ramped up an investigation into the killing of the popular owner of Betsy’s Pancake House.

McDaniel, 72, died Wednesday evening at West Jefferson Medical Center after she was severely beaten earlier this week in her Marrero home. She was placed on life support Tuesday when she suffered a brain hemorrhage.

“It’s hard to know that somebody could do this to somebody like her,” said her granddaughter, Brandy Dykes. “She’s going to be missed by hundreds or thousands of people.”

One day after her death, Crimestoppers announced that an anonymous donation has helped quadruple the normal cash reward for information about the crime from $2,500 to $10,000.

Crimestoppers Executive Director Darlene Cusanza said the organization already had doubled its reward before a Jefferson Parish businessman increased it again. She said an increased reward causes information to pour in to the tip lines.

McDaniel was attacked Monday about 3:30 a.m. when a man broke into her home on Warwick Drive and robbed her. Her daughter found her after a usual early morning wake-up call.

McDaniel suffered a fractured skull, a concussion and broken ribs. She was initially lucid and was able to tell her family that her assailant called her by name and threatened to hurt her daughter if she didn’t cooperate.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand said Thursday that no suspects have been identified. About $4,000 to $5,000 was taken from McDaniel’s home. Normand would not discuss how the suspect entered the house, and would not speculate on whether McDaniel knew her attacker.

Family members said McDaniel was able to provide investigators with a partial description of the man, and the family is combing her work records for clues.

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