Burglars broke into a rural Douglas County home early Saturday, ordered an elderly couple to stay in their bedroom and then took handguns valued at several thousand dollars.

Despite similarities, authorities said there was no evidence to link the burglary to an Oct. 7 break-in in Oskaloosa.

The victims of the latest burglary  an 84-year-old man and a 79-year-old woman  were not hurt, Douglas County Sheriff Rick Trapp said. Officers continue to investigate the incident that occurred about 3 a.m. five miles west of Lawrence along U.S. Highway 40.

The couple were awakened when intruders forced their way through a back door, Trapp said. It was unclear how many burglars were involved. A cabinet was broken and nearly a dozen handguns taken, Trapp said.

The burglary was similar to one that occurred about 1 a.m. Oct. 7, when four masked intruders barged into an Oskaloosa residence occupied by a 74-year-old man and his 93-year-old mother. The intruders ransacked the house but didn’t take anything. The man suffered an abrasion to his face when he was pushed to the floor.

Jefferson County Sheriff’s officers investigating that incident do not think it is connected to the Douglas County case.