PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – The family of a 96-year-old Cranston woman claims two valuable rings were stolen from her hands while she lay sick at Rhode Island Hospital.

Lucia Caito was brought to the emergency room on Thursday with a heart ailment.

According to a complaint filed with police, a man dressed in a hospital smock came to her bedside and used a lubricant to slip the rings off her fingers.

The man allegedly told her he needed to take the rings for safekeeping.

Caito’s daughter, Elinor Thompson, said the rings are worth thousands of dollars. She said she’s outraged the hospital could not keep her mother safe from the theft.

A hospital spokeswoman said the hospital is cooperating with the police investigation.

AP-ES-10-13-07 1517EDT