Edna Harvey

Edna Harvey was strangled and then set alight in her ground floor flat at 69 Finchley Road, Ipswich, on 28 August 1984.

She had been set alight on her bed. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The police said that their investigation showed that the property had been searched, with papers strewn around the lounge/dining area, but that they had been unable to say if anything had been stolen. However, it was noted that Edna Harvey hadn't possessed anything of any value.

She was described as a recluse with poor eyesight.

They said that they thought that it had been a burglary gone wrong and that Edna Harvey had disturbed the burglar.

Neighbours were alerted to smoke coming out of her house just after midnight on the Tuesday and the police said they thought that her home had been broken into late on the Bank Holiday Monday.

Witnesses said that they saw two men running off from Edna Harvey's home along Finchley Road and then into Cemetery Road and off towards the town centre.

Her postmortem showed that Edna Harvey died from asphyxiation and that she had died before being set on fire.

It was noted that Edna Harvey had gone to sleep with her sash windows open.

Several known local offenders were arrested, but no charges were made.