Plea for help je ÓdZ a_bb[h AE 45 years later
THE FAMILY of a Holocaust survivor who was murdered in London nearly three decades after she was liberated from a concentration camp have made a new appeal aimed at bringing her killer to justice.
Emmy Werner, 68, was found by a chambermaid at the Queens Hotel in Bayswater, London, in September 1972.
Detectives believe she was attacked in her room in the early hours of the morning and the most likely motive was theft.
A 16-year-old boy was arrested within a few weeks of the murder and charged, but he was acquitted at the Old Bailey in February 1973.
Now, on the 45th anniversary of her death, the Metropolitan Police said it would take a fresh look at the murder in the hope the passage of time may provide some clues and encourage people to come forward.
A reward of up to £20,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of her killer.
Carolyn Franks, Mrs Werner’s granddaughter, said: “My grandmother was a vulnerable woman and no one should have to die like she did, especially after the trauma she had already endured.
“The effect on her close family continues to be a source of great sadness to us and we feel whoever killed her should be held to account.”
Mrs Werner, her dentist husband Albert and their daughter Hedy lived a comfortable life in Brno, Czechoslovakia, until the German occupation in 1939.
In 1942, she was transported with Albert and Hedy to the Theresienstadt concentration camp near Prague.
In October 1944, Mr Werner was taken to Auschwitz and then, as the Allied troops advanced, on to Kaufering concentration camp where he was killed in February 1945.
Mrs Werner and her daughter, then aged 17, were liberated in May 1945 and moved to London in September 1946.
They lived with relatives before settling in the Finchley area.
Mrs Werner suffered from mental health problems for years due to her war-time experiences but eventually made progress through treatment.
She visited her sister in central London regularly, staying at the hotel.
On the evening of Saturday, September 16, she had been to the Vaudeville Theatre on the Strand with two friends to see Move Over Mrs Markham, before settling for the night at her hotel.
Detective Inspector Susan Stansfield said: “It is possible that the events of that night have since been discussed and there is information that could be really useful to our inquiry.
“Or maybe someone who was scared to speak to officers at the time might now feel able to come forward.”
Anyone with information should contact the Met on 020 7230 4294 or contact Crimestoppers on
0800 555 111.