Caregivers of elderly El Granada woman accused of smothering her during robbery

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (KGO) -- A husband and wife duo were supposed to be looking after an elderly woman; instead, San Mateo County authorities say they covered her with a pillow, tied her up and ransacked her home.

San Mateo County sheriff's deputies arrested Zoranna and Antonio Mapapalangi Thursday. The two were booked into jail and they're facing felony charges.

The woman they're accused of victimizing says she can't sleep anymore and she's been living in fear ever since it happened.

"It's pretty frightening when you know you're almost going to die. I couldn't breath," the victim said.

The 75-year-old victim doesn't want to be identified, but she wants to share her story. It was Sunday just after midnight and she was sound asleep in her home in El Granada.

"Somebody pulled the pillow from under me and stuck the pillow over my face and another person tied up my hands," she said.

She says they demanded money, then ransacked the house when she told them there was no money. After an hour, the house was quiet and she assumed they were gone.

"They tied me up with a pillowcase, so I squeezed my hand through it and got up and called 911," she said.

She suspected her live-in caretakers, a husband and wife. She sort of recognized their muffled voices and says they knew she'd recently come into some money.

Detectives found and arrested Zoranna and Antonio Mapapalangi on Thursday.

"The investigators, during the course of the days, were able to recover some evidence, so that just helps solidify that the suspects arrested were the ones involved," said san Mateo County sheriff's detective Salvador Zuno

The victim says the robbers didn't find any cash, but did take other items.

"I want them to stay in jail for life. I'd hate to have someone else who's disabled and old being treated like that," the woman said.

She says trusting them was a mistake and she advises anyone in her situation to always get a background check on a caregiver. The sheriff's office says the same.