A 55-year-old woman died following a home invasion and robbery early Thursday morning in a Brittain Road apartment, Akron police reported.
It’s unclear whether Melody Tomey, 55, of Cuyahoga Falls, died of natural causes or because of the invasion. Police are investigating the case as a homicide pending the cause of death ruling by the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Police said two men wearing bandanas forced their way into a unit of the Summer Hill Apartments, 1260 Brittain Road, at about 12:30 a.m. The men pistol-whipped all four people in the apartment and escaped with a “large sum of money,” police said.
Police who arrived on scene reported Tomey wasn’t feeling well but declined an offer to receive medical treatment. She went into another room to sleep, and detectives who arrived shortly afterward to interview the victims found her unresponsive. She was taken to Summa Akron City Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
On Thursday afternoon, the apartment complex was quiet. A handful of cars were parked in front of more than 20 apartments, and many units had closed blinds in the windows. No neighbors were available to comment.
The Brittain Road address is in a mixed-use neighborhood south of Tallmadge Avenue and north of Evans Avenue.
Police are continuing to investigate the case. The robbers are described as black males, ages unknown. They wore all black clothing with black bandannas over their faces.