19-year-old woman wanted for allegedly beating man with hammer in NW Harris County

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A woman is still on the loose after authorities said she violently attacked a 79-year-old man who was walking his dogs in northwest Harris County.

Elvera Adelia Peets, 19, is charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. She has not been arrested.

On the afternoon of Nov. 12, Paul Marshall took his three dogs on a walk near his neighborhood. The 79-year-old's wife said he walks their dogs daily and frequently takes them to a nearby apartment complex off Grant Road and Lakewood Forest Drive.

His wife of 57 years, G.G. Marshall, became concerned when one of their dogs ran home without a leash, collar or her husband.

"I tried to reach my husband by phone and he wasn't answering," G.G. Marshall said.

She started driving around, looking for the Navy veteran but could not find him or the other dogs. Then, she got a call from the police, who said there had been an incident and she needed to pick up her other two dogs.

G.G. Marshall then learned her husband was taken by ambulance to the hospital in Tomball for treatment.

Witnesses told police that a woman repeatedly hit Paul Marshall with a hammer inside the apartment complex and fled in her red Nissan, according to charging documents. One of the witnesses identified the woman as Peets and said she was there to visit them.

During the time that the Harris County Sheriff's Office was investigating, the Precinct 4 Constable's Office received a call about a suspicious vehicle abandoned about a mile and a half away in a wooded area. When law enforcement arrived, they found the red Nissan that was registered to Peets. Charging documents said they found a hammer with blood on it nearby the car.

The victim was transported from the hospital in Tomball to Ben Taub for a higher level of trauma care. G.G. Marshall said her husband has bleeding in his brain and what is classified as a "moderate" brain injury. He has a fractured jaw, eye socket, and cheek.

"He does not remember the incident at all," G.G. Marshall said. "He has asked me personally if I knew who did this to him, and at the time, I didn't know. I just said, 'The authorities are looking for the person who did this to you.'"

Her first priority is the health of her husband. She believes he will make a full recovery. She also wants Peets caught and put behind bars.

"I wish she would turn herself in, or her family members would turn her in," she said.

She added that they do not know this woman, and she does not know why she would hurt her husband. In the wake of the attack, neighbors have voiced concerns to G.G. Marshall about feeling unsafe now in their neighborhood.

"Everyone is uneasy because of it," G.G. Marshall said. "It's difficult to think you can't go out and take a walk without being in danger."

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