Woman fatally stabbed while giving money to person she thought was in need
Baltimore police said a woman is dead Saturday after she stopped to help a person she thought was in need.
The victim, Jacquelyn Smith, 52, was stabbed in the 1000 block of Valley Street around 12:30 a.m. and died at a hospital.
Metro Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information.
Police said Smith was riding in a car when she saw a woman with a cardboard sign that read, "Please help me feed my baby," and she decided to give the woman some money.
Investigators said the woman is black, about 5 feet 4 inches tall and looks to be about 20 years old. They said she wearing a brown jacket and was carrying a baby or something wrapped to look like a baby.
Smith, who was riding in the passenger seat, rolled down her window to give the woman some money when a man approached the car, thanked the family for the money and then reached into the car to grab Smith's wallet, police said.
The man stabbed Smith in the torso before he and the woman ran away, police said.
"Right now, we're trying to identify that suspect. He's described as a man, possibly in his 30s, with a goatee. We also want to identify the woman that was out there asking for money," Baltimore police Detective Jeremy Silbert said.
"It's a heinous act. They're using this ruse as panhandlers to get the attention of their would-be victims," said interim Baltimore police commissioner Gary Tuggle. "We also want to caution the public about engaging with pan handlers and recognizing the fact that not all of them have honest intent. Not all of them are in real need."
Detectives and officers assembled at 1:15 p.m. Monday at the intersection of E. Chase Street and Valley Street to hand out flyers and canvass the area. They asked residents if they saw anything.
A celebration turned tragedy
Smith's husband, Keith, returned to the scene Monday, just a block away from their daughter Shayvon's house. Keith said he and his wife were just about to drop their daughter off at her home Saturday morning after celebrating her birthday when the stabbing took place.
"A girl was out here with what looked like a baby in her hand, and it was raining. My wife felt moved to giver her some money," Keith Smith said.
Keith Smith said he reluctantly rolled down the window.
"And when (I) did, some guy came over to say, 'Can I thank her?' And as he did that -- and I'm not thinking he's going to do what he did -- he commenced stabbing my wife," Smith said.
Keith said the man stole his wife's necklace and the woman took her purse before the two ran away.
"Be careful, when we see these pan handlers getting in close proximity of your car. Because like me, I'm from Baltimore, I never thought they were going to take my wife's life," Smith said. "And so now I have to live with that every day."
Smith said his wife worked as an electronic engineer at Aberdeen Proving Ground.
"We need to understand, they're some desperate people. They don't need help. They're trying to hurt you. So I'm going to make it my life's work to -- I'm going to let the world know that my wife didn't die in vain," Smith said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Metro Crime Stoppers at 866-7LOCKUP.
