Man arrested as widow, 91, and daughter found dead
Man, 68, in custody on suspicion of murder after two bodies were found at their home in Staffordshire
A WIDOWED 91-year-old and her daughter were found dead at their home in Cheadle, Staffordshire, on New Year’s Eve, police have said.
Joyce Wilshaw and her daughter, Karen, 63, were killed at their home in Park Lane on Sunday afternoon.
A 68-year-old man, understood to be known to the two victims, has been arrested on suspicion of two counts of murder, Staffordshire Police said.
Neighbours said Mrs Wilshaw had lived alone for many years after the death of her husband in 2008 before her daughter and her partner, Ralph Harrison, moved in to take care of her.
The couple were keen golfers, and Mr Harrison was a regular at the nearby Leek Golf club.
People living in the lane, which leads out to the Staffordshire countryside, said they were alerted by the sound of the air ambulance on Sunday afternoon before the street filled with emergency vehicles.
Residents said the younger woman would often be seen pushing her mother into the nearby centre of Cheadle in a wheelchair.
One, Ted Clowes, said: “What a thing to happen on New Year’s Eve. It’s terrible, it really is.
“We were sitting here and the helicopter came over. It made such a noise. That was the first thing we knew about it. Then quite a few police cars arrived and the whole street filled up with emergency vehicles.
“It’s so quiet around here. You don’t think something like this will happen.”
White-suited forensics officers could be seen going in and out of the property, a modern bungalow with dormer windows in the roof. A white police tent was in place next to the back of the building.
Other neighbours spoke of their “horror” upon learning a double murder had taken place on the usually quiet street.
One said: “We’re all devastated, the road’s like something out of a TV set now with all the police cars, it being sealed off and all the forensic people in white suits.”
The local woman, who declined to be named, said: “It is such a shock and a horrible start to the New Year. You don’t expect this to happen in Cheadle.”
In a statement, Staffordshire Police said it was keeping an “open mind” about the circumstances leading up to the women’s death.
The statement added: “We are continuing to appeal for information following the unexplained deaths of two women in Cheadle on New Years’ Eve.
“Officers were called to Park Lane at 3pm on Dec 31 to reports a woman’s body had been found and another woman was injured. Despite the best efforts of paramedics and officers, both women, aged 63 and 91, were pronounced dead at approximately 3.50pm.
“A 68-year-old man from Cheadle has been arrested on suspicion of two counts of murder. He remains in custody for questioning.”