Joan Mayer, 98, was a co-owner of the Marion County Record with her son
The elderly co-owner of a local newspaper in US' Kansas died from stress after police raided her and her son's home last week, New York Post reported.
Joan Mayer, 98, who was a co-owner of the Marion County Record with her son, collapsed and died following the intense stress she felt when her home was raided by the Marion Police Department in Kansas.
"Stressed beyond her limits and overwhelmed by hours of shock and grief after illegal police raids on her home and the Marion County Record newspaper office Friday, 98-year-old newspaper co-owner Joan Meyer, otherwise in good health for her age, collapsed Saturday afternoon and died at her home," Marion County Record reported.
''She tearfully watched during the raid as police not only carted away her computer and a router used by an Alexa smart speaker but also dug through her son Eric's personal bank and investments statements to photograph them. Electronic cords were left in a jumbled pile on her floor,'' the paper said further.
The paper also said that she had been unable to eat or sleep after police showed up at the door of her home on Friday.
A search warrant, authorized by a Marion County District Court judge, said there was probable cause to believe there was identity theft and unlawful acts concerning computers, according to an image of the warrant published by the Kansas Reflector news organization.
Meanwhile, the Record said the search of its office was related to a reporter verifying a drunken driving charge against a local restaurant owner, Kari Newell.
As per the Guardian, the search was strongly condemned by US media organisations, with more than 30 major outlets including writing an open letter to police that said there ''appears to be no justification for the breadth and intrusiveness of the search''.
The Kansas Press Association described the search as "unprecedented" and "an assault on the very foundation of democracy."