daughter and son-in-law in court over "bodies in garden"

[phantomnamechanger]

sorry if the title disturbs anyone, I wanted to make it clear what story I was linking to.

news.sky.com/story/1162809/garden-murders-daughter-son-in-law-in-court

Awful case, but what I find mind boggling is that this couple disappeared in 1998 and were not found until recently, despite being buried in their own back garden! Surely there would have been evidence of digging etc and there would have been a thorough search?

I hope the guilty parties, whoever they are, are brought to justice. They must have thought they'd got away with this and probably have friends and family who will be devastated by this case.

[phantomnamechanger]

DH says maybe they had a large veg plot so it did not look suspicious, but I would have thought they would have still done some exploratory digging/scanning or something.

its not clear from the story whether the accused live at the property - if not, I pity the poor owners of the house suddenly having all this to deal with. I think I would have to move if such a thing happened.

[nancy75]

I'm sure i read somewhere that the dead couple had sent xmas cards ect to people after they were actually dead (obviously not really them sending the stuff) if they were never reported missing nobody would have been looking for them

[phantomnamechanger]

it says in the article that the accused lived abroad and were of no fixed abode, so presumably someone else has been living there since the deceased disappeared? how could there not be an investigation into their disappearance - 2 elderly people must have had friends, medical professionals - and are not likely to have taken off on the trip of a lifetime surely? If the "plan" ran to sending fake xmas cards and such though, I can see why they might not be assumed dead. I am sure more will come out in time.

[ILikeBirds]

I thought the house had been sold twice since the couple lived there. It was the bit that I didn't understand - how the house could be sold if it belonged to them.

[CajaDeLaMemoria]

Yes, someone pretending to be the couple had sent Christmas and Birthday cards, and had forged their signatures on house selling documents. I thought they'd be pretty close to finding the person when that was revealed, because they'd just need to trace the money...

It's a shame nobody locally noticed that the couple weren't going on their daily walks anymore, though.

[RandomMess]

From what I read the neighbours did report them missing etc. I was under the impression that the daughter had previously been arrested in connection with this.

I'll have a look through some of the previous articles.

[lljkk]

So before this thread goes poof... what's the motive? Money?
I was under impression that the couple were very reclusive so nobody thought anything of it when they just weren't around any more.

[RandomMess]

Not sure where I thought I read all of that info!!!

Link to other info on the case - seems the police were tipped off - house sold in 2005

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/10418862/Daughter-of-elderly-couple-who-vanished-15-years-ago-arrested-over-their-murder.html

[Methe]

Well I'd like to say I didn't see it coming but it'd be a lie. Very weird case.

[duchesse]

I want to know why the couple are being called "elderly" in the media. They were 55 and 57 fgs! Hardly in their dotage.

[duchesse]

And I'm not surprised to see that they are being described as housebound/ not going out much, when it appears they'd been dead for 15 years.

[mysteryfairy]

It's the dead couple who are being described as elderly and the man was already 85 when he died so was definitely getting on. The accused are the ones in their 50s I think.

[duchesse]

Ah ok, having read that Telegraph link I realise it is the accused who are 55 and 57, and the victims were a lot older.

[duchesse]

x posts with fairy, sorry!

[RandomMess]

Makes you wonder if it was part money and part not wanting to have to care for them

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

Did the bodies get discovered as a result of someone reporting the couple missing or was it a grisly surprise for someone planting a shrub ?

[RandomMess]

They were found as the result of a tip-off!

[phantomnamechanger]

I know I just heard about the tip off! Wow!

Also amazed that this has gone on so long and that someone seems to have got away with so much deception/fraud! I wonder if there are other family members still alive who have lots of questions they need answers to - poor them.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

Why would someone wait for all those years to report their suspicions? Was it a neighbour that didn't like to bother anyone? A family member disappointed that they didn't get a promised cut of the house sale for staying quiet? Would love to be in the public gallery at this trial... fascinating.

[lljkk]

I imagine the suspects only recently let something slip about what happened. Or some evidence emerged recently that made someone put 2 & 2 together. It will come out in trial, I'm sure.

[mummytime]

Or it could have been someone who was a kid at the time? They may have said something and not been believed (then if like my teens, watched a horror movie and it stirred up memories).

[Amandine29]

Often in these types of cases the tip off comes as a result of a falling out with the suspects. My guess is it's either that or, as lljkk said, the suspects have recently let something slip.

[FetchezLaVache]

How awful all round, but how particularly awful for the people now living in the house! Can't imagine how they must feel right now.