Grandmother beaten, handcuffed and found with bag over her head. 18-year-old charged in brutal killing

A teenager is facing a murder charge after a 77-year-old Indianapolis woman was found dead inside a locked bathroom handcuffed with plastic wrapped around her head.  

Investigators were called to the single-wide trailer home in the 2900 block of Landola Lane, on the southwest side of the city, on the evening of Jan. 12 by the woman’s granddaughter.  

The deceased grandmother was identified as Mary Sims. The man accused in the killing is 18-year-old Zakii Dawson, who was allowed by the homeowner to stay in the residence.  

It is unclear if Dawson was related to Sims, but he was kicked out of the house the night before her death after destroying property and assaulting her, according to the probable cause affidavit for Dawson’s arrest.  

Sims' granddaughter, who also lives at the home, and the granddaughter's boyfriend arrived at the residence on Jan. 12 and found two bags of Dawson’s clothing on the porch and noticed a strong smell of bleach. They started looking for Sims and the granddaughter’s infant child.  

When the granddaughter entered a bedroom, Dawson came from out behind a door and asked “where’s grandma,” according to the affidavit.  

Alarmed, the granddaughter went outside to call the police while her boyfriend looked for the infant child, who was found safe in his bed. The granddaughter returned inside the home to continue looking for Sims.

Dawson repeatedly said he did not know where Sims was, the affidavit reads.  

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While searching for Sims, the granddaughter and her boyfriend found a bathroom door locked. They were able to get the door open and found Sims on the ground. She was pronounced dead at the scene by medics.  

Sims had lacerations and bruising on her abdomen, bruising on her hands, her top dentures were broken and her bottom dentures were missing. The woman’s eyes were bruised, and she had injuries to her ribs and lungs. Her cause of death was determined to be trauma, according to the affidavit. Near her body police found what they believe was the broken leg of a fan from another room with blood on it.

Dawson was detained by police at the scene. In an interview with investigators, he first said he arrived home and only went inside because he heard the infant crying. He said that no one else, besides the infant, was home when he went inside.  

After further questioning, Dawson stated he found Sims on the floor handcuffed with her head wrapped in plastic and that he dragged her by her feet into the bathroom because he worried he would be blamed. Dawson then stated Sims was snoring and he put her in handcuffs to keep her from bumping her head and wrapped her head in plastic because “he couldn’t look at her,” according to the affidavit.  

He also told police they would find knives behind a dryer in the home and that it smelled like bleach because he tried to clean up blood, the affidavit states.  

An attorney for Dawson was not yet listed in online court records before publication of this article.  

Who was Mary Sims?

Sims lived with the granddaughter who found her body as well as the granddaughter's children, according to a GoFundMe page set up to support the family.

"A loving woman, kind soul, and selfless person," the GoFundMe reads. "(Sims) loved her family and adored her grandkids and great grandkids."

Sims had one child, six grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.

Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.