Police launch murder investigation after 88 year old died at his home in leafy Surrey village after a break-in
- Pensioner discovered at an address in Godstone just before 11am yesterday
- Officers were searching for evidence into the night, partially closing the A25
- Cause of death is not yet known and the victim has not been formally identified
Police have launched a murder investigation after the body of an 88-year-old man was discovered at his home in a leafy Surrey village after a break-in.
Neighbours said that they had been told there had been a break-in at the OAP’s house which may have led to his death during the coronavirus lockdown.
Detectives from a major two-county crime team were called in to carry out house-to-house inquiries around the crime scene in Godstone, Surrey, while the hunt for the pensioner’s killer or killers continued.
A spokesman for Surrey Police confirmed that the murder hunt had been going on since yesterday morning when the man’s body was discovered but so far no-one had been arrested in connection with the incident.
Surrey Police officers are pictured searching Godstone following the discovery of an 88-year-old’s body in the village
Surrey Police are pictured at the scene this morning as they launch a murder investigation
A Home Office pathologist was expected to carry out a post mortem examination on the OAP’s body at the East Surrey Hospital mortuary in Redhill later today to try to establish the exact cause of his death. An inquest will also be opened and adjourned by the Surrey coroner.
It was not yet known whether the victim had been physically attacked during the suspected burglary or whether he had disturbed intruders in his home and collapsed.
Police are pictured scouring the village after they found the body of an 88-year-old man at an address in Godstone yesterday
The victim’s body has not yet formally identified and police said that they were giving no further details until later in the investigation.
Officers conducted house-to-house inquiries and one lane of the A25 which runs through Godstone was closed while searches were carried out at the Surrey property.
Pictured: The road where police discovered the body of the pensioner at an address in Surrey
The map shows where Godstone is in Surrey, with the village lying just outside the M25 in south-east England
Detective Chief Inspector Colin Pirie, from the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team said: ‘The investigation is still in the early stages but we would like to reassure the local community that we are doing everything we can to establish the circumstances of this man’s death.
‘If you have any information which could help us, please get in touch with us as soon as possible.’