Neighbors team up to help disabled woman who was robbed, beaten and carjacked

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- "I'm still fearful now, and I have nothing left to rebuild."

A disabled Milwaukee woman is left traumatized after being a victim of not one, but two violent crimes.

She was robbed and threatened at her home, and then carjacked and beaten. Her neighbors are now helping her get back on her feet.

Walking through Darci Damrau's house, you can see broken mirrors and blinds. It all happened when home invaders came in on June 19. Robbers came through Damrau’s back door, and one threatened her with a pick axe.

"He said, 'don't move, don't shout, I will kill you,'" said Damrau.

The robber duct taped Damrau’s mouth, arms and legs. She laid helplessly on her bed, as robbers ransacked her home and took her medications, television, wallet, and car.

"To duct-tape you and living alone, it was absolutely terrifying," Damrau said.

Police were able to locate and return her damaged, but drivable car. Little did she know just two weeks later she would be beaten and her car would be taken from her a second time.

"They broke a bone in my cheek, they broke a bone in my jaw, I had a concussion, and I had to have a slight surgery on my nose," Damrau said.

Peggy Studenec lives three blocks away and heard about what happened. Studenec knew she had to do something, because the same night Damrau was robbed, a man tried to break in to her home.

"When they need help, I'm always there to help, so this was one real close to my heart because he was at our door just an hour before he came to Darci’s," said Studenec.

Studenec started a fundraiser for Damrau’s medical bills, a security system and a car. Since the word spread, Studenec says neighbors have helped pitch in so Damrau can one day feel safe again.

"Everybody's trying to do something to help her. We had a neighbor offer to drop groceries, another came and cut the grass, her and her husband cut the grass, and now we have another one going to take the weeds in her backyard. So everybody is pulling together,” said Studenec.

"The immense love has been a godsend,” said Damrau. “It has given me hope to start rebuilding my life."

Milwaukee Police say they're still investigating what happened and can’t release information until the investigation is over.

To help Damrau rebuild her life, click here.