Vera Kathleen Crowther

Vera Kathleen Crowther was found dead at her veterinary surgery in Friar Street, Reading.

She had drowned in her own blood after bleeding inwardly from an injury to her nose whilst in a state of deep unconsciousness. The doctor said that she had an injury to the bridge of her nose and that the congested state of her lungs showed that she had died from asphyxiation.

She was found dead at her veterinary clinic where she lived in a yard behind locked gates following a gale.

The police said that they had ruled out the likelihood that she had been murdered and her inquest returned a verdict of misadventure.

When she was found her face was injured and blood stained.

It was said that there were no signs of a struggle having taken place.

When she was found her 14-month-old Scots Terrier dog was found still on its lead by her side and it was thought that Vera Crowther had been either just about to take the dog out for a walk or had just returned from walking it.

It was suggested that Vera Crowther might have been thrown against some hard object by the gale that had been blowing throughout the weekend or that she had tripped over her dog’s lead.

However, when the doctor was asked whether he thought that her death could have been caused by her falling on the cobbled yard, he said 'I don't think so', although he said that he thought that it was possible that the wicket door in the gates to the yard might have struck her in the face in the high wind and knocked her unconscious.

However, her death was described as a mystery as the gates had been locked.

It was noted that earlier on in the day that she died, Vera Crowther had read her horoscope in a newspaper and had discussed it with another member of the veterinary staff. The horoscope had read, 'You will be visiting a strange place'.

Vera Crowther was from Newton Abbot and was known to her friends as Kip.