The wife of a Des Moines man beaten unconscious in a carjacking last week is asking for help from the community as her husband remains in intensive care with mounting medical bills.
Mike Wasike has woken up only briefly from a medically induced coma, said his wife, Joan Namachemo. He can move one hand and slightly open one eye, but he faces a long recovery before he is well enough to tell police what happened the night he was found bloodied in the middle of the street a block from his home.
Wasike, 36, was headed home from one of his two jobs on Feb. 26 when he was attacked, police say. A passerby spotted Wasike lying motionless in the snow at 50th Street and Twana Drive. His car and cellphone were gone.
Police found Wasike’s Nissan a few days later, abandoned at an apartment complex.
They won’t have any solid leads until Wasike can tell them what happened or someone comes forward with a tip.
A $3,000 reward has been offered for information that leads to an arrest.
Wasike and Namachemo immigrated from Kenya. She arrived in Des Moines 11 years ago; he followed seven years later. The couple have a 12-year-daughter and 3-year-old son.
Wasike became the family’s sole breadwinner in December when Namachemo had back surgery. He has medical insurance, but faces a difficult recovery and likely will need long-term care for serious brain injuries from the attack, Namachemo said.
“I have a mortgage and two kids and all these bills, so right now I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she said.
Accounts have been opened at Bank of America and Wells Fargo under Wasike’s name for anyone who wishes to donate to his medical care.
Namachemo said the incident seems like a random act of violence. Her husband had no enemies and no debtors, she said.
Des Moines had seemed like a safe place until now, Namachemo said, adding she is frightened because the attack happened so close to their home.
“I’m so scared to death right now,” she said. “It’s so hard to explain to our family back home what happened.”
Source:Des Moines Register
The family has set up two accounts for those who would like to assist the family in taking care of the mounting medical bills
Bank of America:
Account Number: 445001151791, Routing Number: 073000176
Wells Fargo:
Account Number: 8389851810, Routing Number: 073000228
For more information please contact:
Nancy: 515-777-6499
Elcah: 515-313-6769
Peter: 515-868-9053
