BALTIMORE, MD — Police said a Harford County woman was killed in Baltimore early Saturday morning. She was stabbed to death trying to help a woman begging for money on the side of the road, according to the Baltimore Police Department.

Jacquelyn Smith, 54, was riding in a vehicle in the 1000 block of Valley Street in east Baltimore when she rolled down her window, officials reported. According to police, Smith was giving money to a woman who had been carrying a cardboard sign that said: "Please help me feed my baby." Authorities said the panhandler was holding a baby or an object wrapped to look like a baby.

Police said a man approached the vehicle appearing to thank Smith and instead reached inside and tried to grab her wallet. They struggled, and the man stabbed Smith in the torso with a knife, police allege.

Officials said Smith was the front-seat passenger in a vehicle with family members. She had reportedly been in the car with two relatives after a family gathering in Baltimore. After the stabbing, Smith sought medical attention.

Officers from the Eastern District were notified by a local hospital about a walk-in stabbing victim around 12:34 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1, police said.

Despite the efforts of doctors, officials reported that Smith succumbed to her injury — a stab wound to the chest — and was pronounced deceased.

Following the stabbing, the assailant and the woman with the sign left on foot. Investigators are still working to identify the suspect. Police provided the following descriptions of those involved: