"She was pretty," said "Jackie" the victim's son.
This quiet, grandmother of two was caring for her youngest grandchild, 20-month-old Nikolle, when her son says an intruder came inside and stabbed Sandy Yuen once in the throat.
"Thank God my mom saved my daughter. I really believe my mom took her upstairs. Leave her unharmed," Jackie said.
Her 27-year-old son has lived in the West Orange home on Chestnut Street for 10 years with his wife, daughter, mother and father. He is terrified of the person who killed his mother, which is why we're not showing his face.
The 58-year-old chef was off on Tuesday, babysitting, when he says around 12:30 in the afternoon, his wife found his mother on the kitchen floor, murdered with her own kitchen knife.
"She told me the house was a mess, smelled like bleach everywhere. She couldn't find my mom, my daughter upstairs which is impossible. My daughter is never upstairs in the crib," Jackie said.
He says there was no forced entry and believes his mother knew she was in danger so she took the toddler upstairs.
He says the thieves left his mother's wallet, car, and expensive jewelry, only taking electronics and less expensive jewelry.
He says Yuen was a friendly hardworking immigrant from Hong Kong, married for more than 30 years, and can't understand who in the world would want to harm her.
"Whoever that is, they know, they got time to put bleach. They got enough time to search the house. They know where to search for. They just know," Jackie said.
Safety police have stepped up patrols in the neighborhood while they continue the search for a suspect.
