A longtime civil rights activist is recovering in a rehabilitation facility after she was severely beaten and robbed inside her home in Ripley, Tennessee.
Erlin Gooch, 87, was found injured inside the residence on September 9, 2026, after a friend became concerned when she could not reach her. Ripley police said Gooch was discovered on the floor of a back room with blood covering her head. Her purse, wallet, cellphone, and credit card were missing.
Gooch told investigators that she remembered being punched in the face and struck in the head. According to her longtime friend Joyce Cotton, however, the injuries showed how extensive the assault had been.
Cotton told WREG that Gooch had cuts across her head, a badly swollen eye, two broken arms, fractured or broken fingers, and an injury to her back that Cotton said resulted from Gooch being stomped. Cotton also said she understood that a knife had been used to cut Gooch’s scalp during the attack.
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A Friend Found Gooch After She Stopped Answering
It was another friend’s concern that led to Gooch being found.
When Gooch could not be reached, the friend went to her home and discovered her injured before contacting authorities. Cotton later said there was dried blood on Gooch’s face and that one of her eyes was nearly swollen shut.
Police said Gooch recognized at least one of the people who attacked her as someone from her neighborhood. She later provided investigators with several names. WREG reported that she gave police at least four names during the investigation.
Cotton also alleged that Gooch’s stolen bank card was used after the robbery to withdraw or transfer money through other people. Police have not publicly detailed what evidence investigators have gathered regarding the card or identified anyone accused of using it.
Despite what happened to her, Gooch reportedly told police that she wanted to help the people responsible for attacking her. Cotton said that compassion did not mean her friend wanted them to escape accountability.
Gooch Spent Years Advocating For Others
The attack has drawn additional attention because of Gooch’s history in the community.
Cotton described her as a former civil rights activist who got involved in the movement when she was young and continued advocating for others' rights. Gooch also earned a doctorate in theology.
Now, much of her time is being spent recovering from the injuries she suffered inside her own home.
Cotton said Gooch has good and bad days in rehabilitation and continues to experience significant pain. Fear has also become part of her recovery.
“She’s afraid,” Cotton told WREG. “And of course, she has a right to be afraid.”
Police Have Persons Of Interest, But No Arrests
More than three weeks after the September 9 attack, Ripley police told reporters they had persons of interest in the case but were not releasing further details. No arrests had been announced in reporting published October 2.
Cotton has questioned why more information about the assault was not initially shared with the community and said she planned to bring those concerns before city leaders. She told WREG that she intended to attend the October 5 meeting of the Ripley Board of Mayor and Aldermen and had invited representatives from local churches and the NAACP to join her.
The City of Ripley confirms that the Board of Mayor and Aldermen holds its regular meetings on the first Monday of each month, with an October 5, 2026, meeting scheduled.
Cotton has also said she believes the severity of Gooch’s injuries warrants an attempted murder charge.
Anyone with information about the attack on Erlin Gooch can contact the Ripley Police Department at 731-635-1515, the number listed by both the City of Ripley and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Please share this story about Erlin Gooch to continue bringing attention to the investigation into who assaulted and robbed her. She is our sister, and her life matters.
Agency: Ripley Police Department
Phone: 731-635-1515
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