Surveillance footage of a suspect | Credit: Benny Perez / @tbh_bennyp on Instagram

An elderly woman was forced into a vehicle by two suspects as she left a market on the 200 block of East Gutierrez Street on Friday, February 16, at around 11:30 a.m., the Santa Barbara Police Department confirmed today.

The suspects drove a gray four-door vehicle and took a large sum of money the woman had in her house, Sgt. Ethan Ragsdale of the SBPD said. One suspect was described as an older white female with brown hair and about six feet in height, who told the victim she was from Costa Rica and spoke Spanish. The second suspect was an older white male with black hair, about six feet tall, Spanish-speaking, who said he was from Cuba.

Instagram posts from family members described the incident the day after it happened, stating that the pair had made off with the life savings of the woman and her husband.

The Santa Barbara police are investigating the incident actively and request the public call 9-1-1 if they see the suspects.

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