A vicious break-in, beating and robbery Monday at Skelton’s U-Haul on Grenada Boulevard has left two women hospitalized with stab wounds and severe swelling.
Leflore County Sheriff Ricky Banks said this morning that his department was actively pursuing suspects in the attack and robbery but didn’t have time to comment further.
The two victims of the attack — Melanie Riley, one of the business’ owners, and Lori Wixon — had been inside the small Skelton U-Haul office with the doors locked at about 2 p.m. when two men kicked in the front door and attacked the women, stabbing and repeatedly striking them in the face.
Both women remained hospitalized this morning. Trampas Skelton, Wixon’s brother and Riley’s boyfriend, said this morning that both were in stable condition and doing OK, considering the circumstances.
Wixon was airlifted from the scene to a Jackson hospital. Riley was taken by ambulance to the Delta Regional Medical Center in Greenville and later transferred to a hospital in Jackson.
About $110 in cash was taken during the robbery, said Angela Cleveland, a sister-in-law of Riley’s who arrived at the store after the break-in. Cleveland said the two women were the only people inside the business at the time of the attack.
• Contact Bryn Stole at 581-7235 or bstole@gwcommonwealth.com.
