Seattle Man Bit Off 88-Year-Old Woman's Finger to Steal Her Diamond Ring

On October 13, 2025, Emma Cotton, 88, was outside her home in Seattle’s Rainier Beach neighborhood cleaning household items on her back porch when a man in his 30s approached and demanded her belongings. When she refused, the suspect struck her in the face, dragged her into her garage, and continued the assault. Unable to remove a diamond ring from her finger by conventional means, the attacker bit off a portion of her finger to take the ring, then fled with both the ring and the severed digit.

Injuries and Treatment

Cotton was rushed to Harborview Medical Center, where she was treated for multiple serious injuries including brain bleeds and fractures. According to one of her sons, her head was swollen to the size of a basketball. She spent three days in the intensive care unit before being transferred to a rehabilitation facility. Responding officers noted she feared for her life during the attack, believing the assailant intended to kill her.

The Search

The Seattle Police Department was actively seeking the public’s help to identify the suspect at the time of reporting. Cotton is a well-known community leader and president of Mount Zion’s Senior Ministry, described by longtime community activist Eddie Rye as a pillar of the African American church community in Seattle, with decades of volunteer work and leadership. No arrest had been made as of the time of reporting.

References: Thief Demanded Woman, 88, Give Him Ring. Then He Bit Off Her Finger to Steal It - and He’s Still on the Run with Both | Seattle Police seek public’s help finding suspect who bit off 88-year-old woman’s finger to steal ring