Man dies from injuries in beating

A man who was beaten with a baseball bat by an intruder early Sunday morning has died, Seneca County Sheriff Tom Steyer said Tuesday morning.

Frank Rios, 80, of Green Springs, died Monday afternoon, after he was taken by Life Flight to St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo with life-threatening injuries.

Rios was fatally injured after a man entered his home, located on East CR 62, around 5 a.m. Sunday and beat Rios and his wife, Bette S. Rios, 69, with a bat-like object.

Bette had reported the man, described as tall and slender, left her bleeding badly and her husband unconscious.

The man left the residence, she reported, and she was unsure whether he had left on foot or by vehicle.

Detective Kevin Reinbolt of the Seneca County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday the man had entered the unlocked residence with an intent to rob the couple, taking $500 in cash and some jewelry.

"It's a very violent crime," Steyer said.

A report from the Seneca County Sheriff's Office indicated Bette reported the man was white, but officials said Tuesday she was unsure of his race because the residence was dark at the time of the attack.

Sandy Rios, the daughter of Frank Rios, said Tuesday the vicious attack on her father and stepmother has left the community mortified.

"This shouldn't happen to anybody," Sandy said. "The level of brutality was unspeakable."

Bette, who had been transported to The Bellevue Hospital after the attack, was released Sunday afternoon, Sandy said, and is at home recovering.

The family has put up a reward for the suspect's arrest, Sandy said, and are driving toward apprehending the suspect to protect the rest of the community.

"There will be time to grieve later. My drive is my anger and my rage," she said. "We want this vicious animal off the streets."

Describing her father as hard-working and energetic, Sandy said her father worked all of his life and recently put a roof on the couple's home himself.

"He was a happy senior citizen," she said. "He was a wonderful man."

Frank lived at the residence since 1961, Sandy said, and was married to Bette for 16 years.

"They were happy," Sandy said. "My dad loved her with all his heart."

Sandy said Bette, whom she loved like a mother, has two sons.

Although break-ins recently had been reported in the area, Sandy said she doesn't know why the man chose her father and step-mother's house, the least conspicuous on the road.

"It's the first time something of this level has happened," she said.

Sandy said her father did have a gun at the house and if he would have had a few more seconds to think, the outcome would have been different.

She is urging people to protect themselves by keeping a gun in the house or by having a dog.

"Get a gun or get a dog to protect yourselves," she said. "People need to not be afraid to use a gun."

Sandy said the reward from her family will likely be combined with the sheriff's office reward and donations toward it can be forwarded to the Seneca County Prosecutor's Office.

Steyer said the sheriff's office will offer a reward up to $10,000.

"The bigger the reward, maybe we can find him," Sandy said.

Sandy said the reward will not only help find the suspect but also serves another purpose.

"You're protecting your lives with this," Sandy said. "We as a community are not going to tolerate this. We want him brought in."

Officials said the incident is being investigated and evidence from the scene has been sent to the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation.

Anonymous tips can be left at the sheriff's office detective bureau at (419) 443-7904.