DETECTIVES have admitted it could take months for a breakthrough in the hunt for the killer of a Hampshire grandmother.
Officers say they are painstakingly sifting through mounds of information from members of the public as the inquiry reaches its seventh month.
Georgina Edmonds was brutally murdered in her cottage in Kiln Lane, Brambridge, on January 11. She suffered blows to the head with a blunt instrument and was stabbed repeatedly around the top of her body with a paring knife.
Detectives in the county's major crime department working on Operation Columbian say there are now more than 4,000 separate lines of inquiry being investigated.
So far, about 60 per cent of that work has been completed.
That includes checking the whereabouts of more than 300 ex-cons known to be living in and around the area at the time of the murder.
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Torture
The search is also continuing for four people seen at the Tesco Express garage where someone attempted to use Mrs Edmonds' stolen cash card hours after her murder. It is believed whoever killed the 77-year-old may have tortured her for her PIN.
A man wearing a fluorescent yellow jacket and jeans was caught on CCTV but failed to withdraw cash. He remains the prime suspect in the killing but has not been identified.
Senior investigating officer, Det Supt Dave Williams said: "The determination of the major crime department to bring to justice the murderer of Mrs Edmonds continues unabated.
"There remains significant information from the public that is painstakingly and methodically being pursued to a conclusion. This is likely to take many months.
Det Supt Williams added: "As a result of the previous, very successful appeals in the Daily Echo we have only four customers that we still want to trace who were in Tesco Express in Twyford Road, Eastleigh, at about 10.38pm that night.
"If you are one of these people or recognise any of them please get in touch with us.
"Whilst the investigation is challenging I remain confident that it will be brought to a successful conclusion."
The reward leading to the identity of the killer and successful prosecution now stands at £20,000.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at Hulse Road, quoting Operation Columbian, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Posted by: ossiesaint, at the bar on 8:31am Thu 14 Aug 08
Spoke to a Policeman on this case and when asked him about all he said was "It s all very odd" to me that means the Old Bill do not have a clue!! Just hope they get the right man and not some poor bloke who has been fitted up!
Spoke to a Policeman on this case and when asked him about all he said was "It s all very odd" to me that means the Old Bill do not have a clue!! Just hope they get the right man and not some poor bloke who has been fitted up!
Interesting how we all sit back and wait for the police to solve the crime! Somebody, somewhere knows the name of the vile creep who did this and that someone needs to pluck up the courage to speak out. In such a small community, nobody knows? Oh, come on!
Interesting how we all sit back and wait for the police to solve the crime! Somebody, somewhere knows the name of the vile creep who did this and that someone needs to pluck up the courage to speak out. In such a small community, nobody knows? Oh, come on!
Posted by: Vinny the recreational carrot on 10:19am Thu 14 Aug 08
[quote][bold]reality[/bold] wrote:
It could have been a women rather than a bloke. Either way lets hope they find who ever is responsible and give them a slow death sentance.[/quote] Technically true, yeh, but odds-on it's a man. Sentence should be left to her relatives to decide, I reckon.
reality wrote:
It could have been a women rather than a bloke. Either way lets hope they find who ever is responsible and give them a slow death sentance.
Technically true, yeh, but odds-on it's a man. Sentence should be left to her relatives to decide, I reckon.
Posted by: Inspector Wexford on 1:23pm Thu 14 Aug 08
[quote][bold]Marsha[/bold] wrote:
Interesting how we all sit back and wait for the police to solve the crime! Somebody, somewhere knows the name of the vile creep who did this and that someone needs to pluck up the courage to speak out. In such a small community, nobody knows? Oh, come on![/quote] Agreed - someone knows the murderer. Whether they know that the murderer was the murderer is another matter.
Marsha wrote:
Interesting how we all sit back and wait for the police to solve the crime! Somebody, somewhere knows the name of the vile creep who did this and that someone needs to pluck up the courage to speak out. In such a small community, nobody knows? Oh, come on!
Agreed - someone knows the murderer. Whether they know that the murderer was the murderer is another matter.
Elementary my dear Wexford! Someone who has done this has got to suffer some kind of psychological symptoms or personality shift. Killing another human being must cut to the quick of even the hardest criminal? Besides which, there must have been some kind of physical evidence left behind on the murderer, surely? Blood stains, scratches; the sort of things that someone close would notice, but not necessarily a stranger policeman.
Elementary my dear Wexford! Someone who has done this has got to suffer some kind of psychological symptoms or personality shift. Killing another human being must cut to the quick of even the hardest criminal? Besides which, there must have been some kind of physical evidence left behind on the murderer, surely? Blood stains, scratches; the sort of things that someone close would notice, but not necessarily a stranger policeman.
[quote][bold]Marsha[/bold] wrote:
Elementary my dear Wexford! Someone who has done this has got to suffer some kind of psychological symptoms or personality shift. Killing another human being must cut to the quick of even the hardest criminal? Besides which, there must have been some kind of physical evidence left behind on the murderer, surely? Blood stains, scratches; the sort of things that someone close would notice, but not necessarily a stranger policeman. [/quote] Spot on. If the murderer has managed to keep this a secret from everyone, I'll eat my hat. I've seen first-hand how widespread knowledge of these things can go within a community, and still be kept a secret from the law. Fear, apathy, "someone-elses-probl
em" syndrome, conflicted loyalties and other factors give people just the excuse they need to avoid getting involved. Tragic, really, and I hope someone comes forward soon with something more concrete than has happened so far
Marsha wrote:
Elementary my dear Wexford! Someone who has done this has got to suffer some kind of psychological symptoms or personality shift. Killing another human being must cut to the quick of even the hardest criminal? Besides which, there must have been some kind of physical evidence left behind on the murderer, surely? Blood stains, scratches; the sort of things that someone close would notice, but not necessarily a stranger policeman.
Spot on. If the murderer has managed to keep this a secret from everyone, I'll eat my hat. I've seen first-hand how widespread knowledge of these things can go within a community, and still be kept a secret from the law. Fear, apathy, "someone-elses-probl
em" syndrome, conflicted loyalties and other factors give people just the excuse they need to avoid getting involved. Tragic, really, and I hope someone comes forward soon with something more concrete than has happened so far
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