Double murder probe as bodies of two elderly women are found in separate houses by police investigating bungled burglary
- Officers found body of widow Margaret Biddolph, 78, as they investigated burglary in Southport, Merseyside
- Second body of pensioner in her 80s, named by neighbours as Annie Leyland, discovered today just a quarter of a mile away by police
By James White
Last updated at 2:05 PM on 22nd February 2012
A 43-year-old man was being questioned on suspicion of two murders today after the bodies of two elderly women were found by police investigating a bungled burglary.
Police first discovered the body of 78-year old widow Margaret Biddolph around 5.20pm yesterday at her home in Southport, Merseyside.
Today officers investigating her death confirmed a second woman in her 80s had been found dead at her home less than a quarter of a mile away.
Investigation: Forensic officers were today examining the home of Margaret Biddolph after her body was found inside. A second body of an elderly woman was found this morning at a house nearby in Southport, Merseyside
Cordoned-off: The road outside Mrs Biddolph's home has been closed as police make forensic and door-to-door inquiries today
Neighbours have named the second victim as Annie Leyland, of Birch Street which is less than five minutes' walk from the first crime scene in Lonsdale Road.
A spokesman for Merseyside Police said: 'As a result of further inquiries, a second body has been recovered at an address in Birch Street, Southport, in the early hours of this morning.
'At this time, the cause of death has yet to be established and Home Office post-mortems will be carried out later today.'
The 43-year-old suspect was in custody being questioned by detectives on suspicion of murder. The houses were cordoned off while forensic teams examined the scene. The causes of death in both cases are not known.
Mrs Biddolph had lived in the house, in Southport, Merseyside for 36 years and had been widowed for up to 40 years.
Second body: Another pensioner was found dead at this house, left, also in Southport, Merseyside
It is believed she has three grown-up children who live away and she had recently extensively refurbished her semi detached home.
Marianne Lott, 54, who lived opposite the pensioner, said: 'Margaret was very quiet and a lovely woman, she was often tending her garden and was very jolly and independent.
'She was in her 80s but that didn't stop her from getting taxis out and about to pick up groceries or do some shopping.
'I last saw her before the weekend. She didn't like to go out much but we waved to each other when I last saw her.
'She always had good stories to tell from when she lived in Liverpool as a younger woman.'
Mrs Biddolph had lived on leafy Lonsdale Road for over 50 years and had been a widow for 40 years, claimed Mrs Lott.
Before retiring Margaret worked for Princes Foods in Southport and has three grown up children, including a daughter who lives in the south and son Alec, who lives in Southport.
Known for being immaculately dressed, Mrs Biddolph had recently undergone a hip replacement operation and was regularly seen walking to the local shops.
Home: Mrs Biddolph's death, at her home, centre, has left neighbours in shock
One neighbour, who didn't want to be named, said: 'We all knew her and talked to her because she had been here so long and was well-liked in the neighbourhood. It's a big shock to everybody.
Alice Chandley was walking home from work with her three-year-old daughter when she saw police cars outside the £121,000 seaside home.
She said: 'It's such a quiet little street, you never get anything bad down here. Everyone's nice and looks after each other. It's bizarre and a shock.'
Speaking about the death of Mrs Biddolph, Det Ch Insp John Roberts, of Merseyside Police, said: 'This is a tragic incident that has resulted in the death of an elderly woman. While we are at the early stages of the murder inquiry, we are investigating a possible connection with a burglary.
'A man has been arrested in connection with the incident and we urge anyone who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously in the area in the days and weeks prior to the incident, or has any information about burglaries in the area to call us, no matter how small that piece of information may seem, as it could be important to our investigation.
'House-to-house enquiries are ongoing in the area, high-visibility patrols have been stepped up and CCTV is also being sought.
'A post mortem was scheduled to take place to establish the victim's cause of death and enquiries are ongoing to trace next of kin.
Email to a friend
Print version
Plain text
Post your comment