NATCHEZ — An elderly couple was assaulted Friday night at their house in the Morgantown area.

Adams County Sheriff Chuck Mayfield said two males knocked on the door of an elderly couple on Second Street, and when the man, 88, opened the door he was pistol-whipped to force entry.

When the wife, 85, tried to call 911, the assailants hit her in the head with the pistol, Mayfield said.

Mayfield said the assailants got away with the man’s wallet, the only item missing, which contained approximately $800. Mayfield would not release the victims’ names.

Mayfield said, at this point in the investigation, he thinks the assailants knew the house was occupied by an elderly couple.

“This is a most heinous crime that we are taking extremely seriously,” Mayfield said. “This was a violent attack against vulnerable adults, the elderly, and we intend to prosecute this to the fullest extent of the law.”

The sheriff’s office received the 911 call by a neighbor at 9:36 p.m., and the victims were admitted to Natchez Regional Medical Center at 11 p.m., due to transit time.

“We are very aggressively running down leads and hope they pan out,” Mayfield said. “We hope to catch them as quickly as possible because we don’t want anybody else to get hurt.”

Mayfield said anyone with information about the crime should contact commander of investigations Ricky Stevens at the Sheriff’s office at 601-442-2752 or the Miss-Lou Crime Stoppers at 601-442-5000. Tips will remain anonymous.