Crime & Safety
Death of Elderly Gilroy Woman Is Considered Homicide
Santa Clara County coroner is calling her death "suspicious."
A woman found dead at her Gilroy home Tuesday has been identified as 74-year-old Dorris Mae Knapp and police are treating her death as a homicide, according to a police sergeant.
Gilroy police had considered Knapp's death suspicious, but have now classified it a homicide based on preliminary information from the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner's Office, Sgt. Pedro Espinoza said.
No other information is being released as police continue to investigate leads in the case, Espinoza said. Knapp was found lying in her residence in the 1400 block of Bristlecone Court with injuries to her neck after police were called to the home at around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday about an unconscious woman, Espinoza said.
Knapp's husband, who is not being identified, was at home with her and had arrived there before police reached the couple's home, Espinoza said.
Emergency personnel from the Gilroy Fire Department pronounced her dead at the scene.
Anyone with information about Knapp's death is urged to contact Gilroy police at (408) 845-0350 or to call anonymously at (800) 782-7463.
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