Murder Detectives In Fresh Plea Over Anonymous Letters

Police hunting for the killer of Betty Yates at Bewdley today (Tuesday, 24 January) made a new appeal for the authors of two anonymous letters to come forward and talk to them.

The letters, received last week, give different information and are believed to have come from separate sources.

Despite an appeal last Friday (20 January) the authors of the letters have still not contacted detectives investigating the murder of Mrs Yates, who was found stabbed to death at her cottage on 4 January.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Jamieson, who is leading the inquiry, said: "The letters have opened up new lines of enquiry for us but we can only establish the value of the details in them by talking to the people who wrote them. We need to find out how they came by that information and what else they know about this.

"It's crucial that anyone who has any idea of who was responsible for this terrible murder comes forward and gives us as much detail as possible. We recognise they might be reticent but they can speak to us in complete confidence and I would urge them to do so now by calling detectives in our Major Incident Room at Stourport on 0300 333 3000.

"Information is still coming in to our inquiry team and we are leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to track down the person or people responsible for this dreadful crime.

"One piece of information could be all it takes to solve this case and I would urge anyone holding back from contacting us, for whatever reason, to pick up the phone now."

Betty Yates, a 77-year-old retired schoolteacher, was found stabbed to death at her cottage, Riverscroft, which is at the end of a mile-long track off Dowles Road on the outskirts of Bewdley. She had also been attacked with one of her own walking sticks. Although she was found dead on 4 January police believe she was killed on the evening of Bank Holiday Monday, 2 January.

Officers want to hear from anyone they have not yet talked to who travelled along Dowles Road between 2pm and midnight on 2 January or anyone who was on the river or riverbanks between Bewdley and near Hawkbatch Farm. They also want to speak to anyone who may have seen any vehicles between those times on the track leading to the cottage.    

Police can also be contacted on 101 and anyone with information can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Issued: Tuesday, 24 January 2012