CRESTLINE, CA — A 71-year-old Crestline grandmother remains hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury after a man she allowed to stay in her home allegedly attacked her with a metal baseball bat on Aug. 25 and fled with her phone, credit cards, keys and e-bike.
Therese Garcia invited 26-year-old Erik Eduardo Navarro into her home after he approached her with a story about losing his belongings during a camping trip and said he had a job interview at a nearby hardware store. Six days later, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office and Garcia’s family, Navarro allegedly launched the attack that left Garcia unable to see clearly, suffering broken bones across her arm, hand and face, and fighting a brain bleed that doctors are still monitoring. Navarro remains at large as of early September 2026, and investigators are asking the public for help finding him. Garcia’s family has launched a fundraiser to cover mounting medical costs because she does not have health insurance.
Garcia’s daughter, Abbie Garcia, told CBS Los Angeles that her mother was sitting on her porch when Navarro first approached her and presented what the family now calls a fabricated story. Garcia believed he was a well-meaning young man who had simply fallen on hard times. She cooked for him each evening and described him to family members as a “sweet kid” who needed temporary help getting back on his feet, Abbie said. The arrangement appeared manageable at first, but Abbie told CBS Los Angeles that Navarro’s behavior shifted noticeably around the third or fourth day. “He was there a total of six days, and he started kind of making demands,” Abbie said. “He wasn’t really helping with any of the things that he agreed to in the beginning.” Garcia eventually concluded the arrangement was not working and told Navarro he needed to leave. It was after that conversation, according to the family, that the situation turned violent. An early San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department release described the stay as approximately two weeks, but Garcia’s family later clarified it lasted six days.
According to the Sheriff’s Office and statements provided by Garcia’s family, Navarro allegedly waited until Garcia had fallen asleep on the couch before beginning the assault. Family members told NBC Los Angeles and CBS Los Angeles that he used a metal baseball bat and continued the attack for hours, pausing only when Garcia lost consciousness and resuming each time she stirred. “Every time she would wake up a little bit, he would come back and beat her again,” Abbie Garcia told NBC Los Angeles. Navarro allegedly stopped only when he believed Garcia was dead. He then took her phone, credit cards, house keys and e-bike before leaving the residence on Straight Way in Crestline. Neighbors grew concerned after not seeing Garcia and requested a welfare check. Deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 23900 block of Straight Way on Aug. 25 and found Garcia with a cut on her forehead, a lacerated eyebrow, swollen hands and severe swelling around one eye that left her unable to see clearly. Abbie Garcia told reporters that she believes her mother would have bled to death without that welfare check.
Garcia was transported to a hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with a traumatic brain injury, a brain bleed and multiple deep lacerations requiring extensive stitching. She also sustained multiple broken bones in her arm, hand and face, according to family accounts shared with CBS Los Angeles and the Daily Mail. Garcia vomited blood for days following the attack and has remained hospitalized since Aug. 25. Doctors have said she may require facial surgery once the swelling subsides. Her daughter described her as still experiencing extreme dizziness, exhaustion and the lasting effects of the brain injury. Abbie Garcia, who is pregnant and caring for a one-year-old child of her own, said the family is coordinating care across multiple states — Garcia’s son lives in New York, and another daughter is balancing work with raising two children. “We are doing our best to balance our own families while being there for our mom through this nightmare,” Abbie wrote in an online fundraiser. Garcia does not carry health insurance, and the family established a GoFundMe campaign to help cover hospital bills, the potential cost of facial surgery and anticipated in-home care expenses.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the case as battery with serious bodily injury. Navarro, identified by authorities as an Orange County resident, has not been taken into custody as of early September 2026. The department released a photograph of Navarro and is actively asking for the public’s help in locating him. No formal charges have been filed in court documents reviewed by reporters because Navarro has not yet been arrested, but the Sheriff’s Department has publicly named him as the suspect in the attack. Investigators urged anyone with information about Navarro’s location to call the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Station at (909) 336-0660. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call or text the word “REPORT” to We-Tip at (844) 909-3006, or submit a tip through the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department website. Garcia’s family has said they are terrified that Navarro could harm another person before he is found. “I truly believe he will kill somebody if he’s not caught,” Abbie Garcia told CBS Los Angeles.
Garcia’s condition had stabilized by early September, and family members said she had begun taking small steps during her recovery, a development they described as encouraging given the severity of her injuries. Still, Abbie Garcia wrote in the fundraiser that the family does not yet know what long-term care will look like or how extensive it will need to be. “My mom didn’t deserve this,” Abbie wrote. “She was simply trying to help someone she believed was in need, something she has always done throughout her life. This time, her kindness was met with unimaginable violence. She survived. Now we want to help her truly recover.” For those unable to donate financially, Abbie asked the public to keep her mother in their prayers and to share information about Navarro’s whereabouts with authorities. The case drew widespread attention across Southern California in early September as local television stations broadcast Navarro’s photograph and Garcia’s family appealed for both justice and financial support.
As of early September 2026, Therese Garcia remains hospitalized in the Crestline area, with her recovery timeline still uncertain. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office has not announced an arrest, and the search for Erik Eduardo Navarro is ongoing. The next significant development in the case is expected when investigators locate and take Navarro into custody, at which point formal charges would be presented to prosecutors.
