Norma Bell murder - Police reveal cash appears to be missing
Police say hundreds of pounds are missing from the home of a Hartlepool pensioner who was murdered at the weekend.
Norma Bell, 79, was found at her home on Westbourne Road on Sunday after a house fire.
Whilst forensic technicians continue to sift through the wreckage caused by the fire, an amount of cash (in the hundreds of pounds) appears to have been taken from her home.
Detectives can now confirm that a handbag believed to have been previously missing from the address has now been located inside the property.
A forensic and extremely detailed search is a painstaking and slow task.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent Alastair Simpson, said: “We believe that a substantial amount of cash was taken from Norma’s. “If anyone has noticed that someone they know has come into some money over the last couple of days and is concerned about a change in their behaviour, it is really important that they contact police. “Again, I would appeal to anyone with private CCTV in the area to check their footage and see if there is anything on there between Saturday evening and Sunday morning which could assist us with our investigation.”
Norma had lived at the address for 27 years and was due to celebrate her 80th birthday next month.
Officers continue to visit houses in the local area and are speaking to residents to see if they have any information which may be able to assist the inquiry.
Yesterday, police reminded those in the local community with elderly or vulnerable neighbours or relatives to keep an eye on their wellbeing.
They also reminded people not to let strangers into their home with first checking their identification. Detective Superintendent Simpson continued: “I would again like to take this opportunity to appeal to anyone living in the local area who may have seen or heard anything suspicious from late on Saturday evening into Sunday morning in Westbourne Road to contact police.
“If anyone has information that may be linked to this investigation then I urge them to come forward. You can do so by calling Cleveland Police on 101 or contacting Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”