‘Some anger is setting in.’ Family of elderly woman killed in drug store robbery speaks

The family of Marilyn Stribley expressed anguish Sunday over the 87-year-old woman’s death in a Citrus Heights drug store robbery that was captured on surveillance video.

“We continue to be in shock over the sudden loss,” the family said in a statement released late Sunday evening. “The emotions of sadness and shock have been with us all week. Honestly, some anger is setting in. But because of the fundamentals Marilyn taught her daughters and the family values that continued in the extended family, Marilyn leaves behind a small, close knit family that is supporting one another.”

Stribley was walking into a Rite Aid store on Auburn Boulevard in Citrus Heights last Monday evening when she was knocked over by one of the alleged robbers fleeing the scene. The woman sustained critical injuries, and died Saturday.

Police were still searching for the three alleged robbers, all described as black men between ages 18 and 20. Police said the men had jumped over the pharmacy counter and demanded prescription drugs. Store employees handed over the drugs.

The video of Stribley being knocked to the ground has been replayed on social media and media websites for days.

“As a small connected family we are obviously reeling from this sudden and senseless loss,” the family’s statement said. “We have watched for days the re-running of the tape. Social media, especially in Citrus Heights, has shown an outpouring of compassion for this woman without a name. We would like to put a human face to the lady knocked down during the robbery.”

Stribley was raised in Long Beach. She and her husband, William Stribley, had two daughters, Sheryl and Tamara. Sheryl and her husband moved to the Sacramento area in 1993, and the rest of the family followed over the next few years. Stribley continued to live independently after her husband of 63 years died in 2014, renewing her driver’s license just last month.

“She was known by her first name when she walked into Rite Aid and the staff there has led us to believe she was one of their favorite customers,” the family’s statement said.

Stribley had turned 87 on Wednesday. She will be buried alongside her husband at the VA Cemetery in Dixon.

Rite Aid Corp. has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the robbers.

This story was originally published December 3, 2017 at 8:48 PM with the headline "‘Some anger is setting in.’ Family of elderly woman killed in drug store robbery speaks."