By Ken de la Bastide
GREENTOWN — Along a quiet residential street in Greentown, the only thing out of the ordinary Monday was the yellow police tape blowing in the wind.
It marks the site where Jamie Harney was brutally beaten and discovered Friday by her three children.
She was beaten by an unknown assailant or assailants. Her husband, Gary, was away on a business trip.
“I’ve not been able to sleep,” neighbor Angie Collins said. “I have three little girls living in this house with me. As far as I know, nobody knows who did it. I don’t know if it was a crazy neighbor or ... it is just terrifying.”
At the Collins’ residence, they’ve started barricading the door at night and are preparing to install deadbolts. They also keep all the windows closed.
“I can’t imagine what those kids went through,” she said. “I can’t imagine my kids waking up and finding me like that.
“It made me think of all the times I didn’t lock the doors, especially in the summer, falling asleep on the couch,” Collins continued. “That’s not going to happen anymore. I’m checking them two or three times a night.”
A native of Sharpsville, Collins said she was drawn to the neighborhood because she wanted her children to grow up the same way she did.
“Always seemed like a nice couple,” she said of the Harneys. “Only screams you heard was children’s laughter.
“We hope and pray everything works out OK,” Collins said. “Hopefully, she can pinpoint who did it. We can all sleep better. I toss and turn and toss and turn.”
Morgan Harden, a student at Eastern High School, has noticed the increased police presence in the neighborhood.
“We’re keeping the porch light on and making sure the doors are locked,” she said. “I was getting ready for school. I’m a little apprehensive. Normally pretty quiet around here.”
Harden said the Harneys’ house was damaged in an electrical fire several years ago, and the couple rebuilt on the same site.
Howard County Sheriff Marty Talbert said Harney remained in a coma Monday at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis and is showing signs of movement.
Detectives have interviewed several people and fielded numerous telephone calls, trying to establish a timeline of Harney’s activities Thursday and Friday.
“The oldest child is 6, which puts them to bed fairly early,” Talbert said. “We need to know if anyone else stopped by the home Thursday evening. We also want to know the last time Harney talked with someone on the telephone, or if someone called and Harney didn’t answer.”
The Greentown Town Council is offering $1,000 for information leading to an arrest, in addition to the $1,000 the Howard County Sheriff Department offered Saturday.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Howard County Sheriff Department’s Criminal Investigation Division at (765) 456-2301.
• Ken de la Bastide is the Kokomo Tribune enterprise editor. He can be reached at 765-454-8580 or via e-mail at ken.delabastide@kokomotribune.com
