DEARBORN (WWJ) — An Ecorse man has been charged in connection with the “brutal” torture and rapes of two elderly women in Dearborn last weekend.
Registered sex offender Michael Holcomb, 52, was arraigned Wednesday on a long list of felony charges, including first-degree criminal sexual assault, torture and assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder.
The victims are 85-year-old and 78-year-old sisters, who remained hospitalized in stable condition, as of Wednesday afternoon. One victim “is not mobile,” according to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
While many details surrounding the attacks have not been disclosed, Worthy said “this is among the worst set of facts that I’ve seen.”
“The level of brutality in this case is really unimaginable. And for someone who’s seen what we’ve seen collectively, that’s saying a lot. Our victims were brutally beaten, our victims were brutally assaulted, our victims were brutally raped and our victims were brutally tortured,” Worthy said at a press conference following Holcomb’s arraignment Wednesday in Dearborn.
Dearborn police were called to a home in the area of Southfield Road and Outer Drive around 2 p.m. Sunday, March 17 after getting reports of a possible home invasion and assault.
Authorities found the two women inside, suffering from severe injuries.
Holcomb reportedly knocked on the women's door and told them he was there to work on the roof. He then entered and attacked them
Eyewitnesses helped investigators track Holcomb to a local motel, where he was arrested.
“I’m just struck with profound sadness and sympathy for these victims, their families and the neighbors that had to endure this that day. This is a terrible crime. In my 26 years, it’s one of the most heinous things that I’ve seen and witnessed, and I continue to pray for the victims and their families,” Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin said Wednesday.
Holcomb is reportedly under investigation for the sexual assault of a teenage girl in Allen Park. Worthy told reporters Wednesday she could not comment on the case and had not received any investigator’s reports, but expected to hear something soon.