A Macon woman found dead early Thursday died of asphyxia -- meaning she was smothered -- according to Coroner Leon Jones.
Based on those autopsy results, he said, he has ruled the death of 87-year-old Christine Patton Cook to be a homicide.
Macon Police said they found Cook's jewelry box ransacked and her face covered, when they arrived on scene late Thursday morning.
According to a report, Cheryl Pepper of Wrightsville, Cook's daughter, contacted Macon police after not hearing from her mother in a day.
Pepper told 13WMAZ over the phone that her mother was very active and always made appointments throughout the day. When she hadn't heard from her by Wednesday evening, she said that she knew something was wrong.
When police arrived on the scene, they found that the door from the garage to the kitchen was open.
Police said when they arrived on scene, Christine Patton Cook's car was missing. They found the car at Malvern Hill and Picketts Ridge, less than 500 feet from the victim's house.
Cook's daughter, Cheryl C. Pepper, described her mother as a people person, who was very involved with First Baptist Church of Christ in Macon.
"I think somehow she would have like to have longer," said Pepper over the phone. "She was at that stage in life, when she was enjoying her life, her friends, and Macon."
Pepper said her mother had some medical difficulties in the past, but not only did she pull through, she said she was in good health before her death.
She also told 13WMAZ over the phone that her mother was loved by everyone and that she never had an unkind word for anyone.
Cook is survived by her daughter, Cheryl C. Pepper, her granddaughter Kimberly L. Mertens, her great-grandson Matthew Douglas Mertens, and her brother Jessie Richard "Buddy" Hamlin.
Pepper said that Snow's Memorial Chapel will be handling the funeral arrangements. She said they will have the services for her mother at First Baptist Church of Christ and she will be buried at Riverside Cemetery, but they haven't yet set a date for the funeral.