2 Indianapolis teens arrested in death of elderly Brownsburg woman

Police say they have arrested a former nurse's aide and her boyfriend in connection with the death of a 74-year-old Brownsburg woman last week.

Police say 19-year-old Arion Cruthird and 18-year-old Kiesha Summerhill, both of Indianapolis, face murder charges in the death of Alice Wright on Jan. 7, Brownsburg Police Sgt. April Hyde said in a Friday news conference live-streamed by Fox59. Summerhill previously cared for Wright's husband, Kerney.

IndyStar was not immediately able to verify Summerhill's employment as a health aide or nurse.

Both were arrested Friday at a home in the the 2300 block of LaSalle Street in Indianapolis. Investigators allege the pair broke into the home and robbed the Wrights, but did not specify what items were missing from the home.

Officers were called to the 800 block of Stonehenge Way shortly after 8:30 a.m. Jan. 7 after Wright's daughter discovered her in her bedroom, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.

Wright's wheelchair-bound husband, Kerney, also 74, was found on the floor in another room. He was taken to Hendricks Regional Hospital for treatment for unrelated health issues, according to police.

Based on information gathered at the scene, investigators estimated Wright had been dead for at least 12 hours by the time she was found, according to police.

An autopsy completed the next day preliminarily ruled the manner of death as homicide and the cause of death as multiple traumas that complicated her hypertensive cardiovascular disease.

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Hyde said investigators do not currently believe there are other suspects involved, but will continue to conduct interviews and execute search warrants in an effort to gain more information.

"There's a lot of questions that we need answered," she said.

She said detectives have made a lot of progress in the five days since the investigation began.

"It’s been rapidly evolving, but it’s also been very cumbersome and tiring for the investigators," Hyde said, "and I can’t even imagine what the family is going through."

Hyde said that while investigators believe they know exactly what happened to Wright, Brownsburg residents should always do what they can to ensure their own personal safety.

"In this day and age, you need to stay aware of what’s going on around you, you do need to protect yourself," Hyde said. "There’s no leaving your doors unlocked to your residence anymore. There’s no leaving your cars unlocked."

"These crimes are happening, and they’re happening more frequently in our community, unfortunately."

A statement from the family released Friday said Kerney's medical conditions will require him to be moved into a nursing facility.

“The love of Kerney's life, his wife of 39 years, and his full-time caregiver, Alice, was tragically taken from him January 6th," the family statement read. "Kerney has disabilitating medical conditions that will require entry into a skilled nursing facility."

A GoFundMe page has been set up for those who want to help with his medical expenses.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the occupation of Kiesha Summerhill. She is a nurse's aide.

Call IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at (317) 444-6156. Follow her on Twitter: @hollyvhays.