Rural murder probe gets 140 calls

Post-mortem tests showed Georgina Edmonds died from head injuries

Detectives investigating the murder of a 77-year-old woman have received more than 140 phone calls about the case following appeals for information.

The body of Georgina Edmonds was found at her home in Kiln Lane, Brambridge, Eastleigh, Hampshire, on 11 January.

She was discovered by her son, Harry, when he checked in on her that evening. She died from extensive head injuries.

Police said they wanted to thank people who had contacted them but still needed more people to come forward.

Det Ch Insp Paul Barton, of Hampshire Constabulary, said: "We need to speak to anyone who was in the area of Kiln Lane, including Brambridge Garden Centre, between 1100 and 1745 GMT on Friday 11 January.

Four arrests

"Even if these people do not think they have any information that could help us, if they were in the area we will need to speak to them to eliminate them from our inquiry.

"We are mindful that our investigation has caused disruption to the local community but we hope that residents are able to understand the lengths we must go to, to identify the person or people responsible."

Last Friday detectives returned to the village to renew their appeal for witnesses one week after Mrs Edmonds' killing.

They stopped motorists, dog walkers, joggers and visitors to the Kiln Lane area to appeal for information.

About 50 officers have been working on the investigation

Police said about 1,200 vehicles were stopped between 1100 and 1530 GMT.

Four men were arrested on 14 January. Three of them were released without charge the following day, while a 37-year-old man was released on bail.

Police earlier released CCTV images of a man using Mrs Edmonds' card at a cash machine on the day she died.

They also appealed to residents to check their gardens and bins for discarded items of Mrs Edmonds' property, and to submit their own CCTV footage to police to help with the investigation.

Officers also released a picture of a brightly-coloured key fob missing from Mrs Edmonds' home since the killing.