Terror seeps through community as woman, 90, dead and murder arrests made

A feeling of terror has spread through a community after two murder arrests were made following the discovery of a 90-year-old woman's body inside a house.

Merseyside Police were called to Bolde Way in Spital just after 11.20am on Tuesday, April 23. The North West Ambulance Service alerted officers after the body of a woman, aged 90, had been found in a house. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The woman was on Wednesday named by police as Myra Thompson. A 48-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman, both from the Wirral area have been arrested on suspicion of murder.

READ MORE: Woman, 90, found dead inside house 'always had a smile on her face'

READ MORE: Murder arrests after woman, 90, found dead at house

When the ECHO visited the tragic scene members of the community were visibly shaken by the news and spoke of their terror and shock.

Many dog walkers in the area couldn't believe the news as they were passing the police cordons. One woman told the Liverpool ECHO: "It's usually gorgeous around here I am shocked.''

She added: "My kids go to school in the area and nothing like this has happened since I have been living in the area.''

Reacting to the awful news, another neighbour said: ''It's a shocking world we live in, we're all terrified.'' Many people said it is an area you would "never expect anything so dreadful to happen in" as the small village is usually quiet.

Close neighbours of Myra Thompson, Valerie Morgan, 80 and Elfed Morgan, 81 described her as a "well respected member of the community".

Valerie told the ECHO: ''She was a very nice person, she was quiet and kept herself to herself. She wasn't out and about very much but the chap next door took her shopping often.''

The ECHO was told how Myra was a senior physicist at Clatterbridge Hospital before she retired. Her neighbour recalled how she used to ''walk to the hospital every morning.'' With one neighbour referring to her as a "career woman" and ''intellectually superior'' to anyone else who lived in the area.

Elfed and Valerie moved into their Spital home 50 years ago and they had known Myra for as long as they can remember. Myra had lived in the area for a long time and was known as a "character" by her friends.

Valerie reflected on her memories she had of Myra and spoke of her caring nature. She said: "Myra was married but her husband, Charlie, died some years ago. He was a naval officer and was involved in a crash that left him disabled and she looked after him.''

Elfed recalled how she ''always had a smile on her face, no matter what.'' The tragic events have hit the community hard and he said he always pictured her as a "fit, little lady who loved to walk her dog", though he said she had started to look "frail'' recently.

Other neighbours shared anecdotes of Myra with one woman telling how Myra's husband Charlie had brought a blue Jaguar which Myra "hated riding in because she felt like a bookmakers wife" and "too flash". The neighbour said this showed how kind she was as she eventually gave the car to her neighbour when her husband died.

She added: ''You can't say anything negative about Myra. I think she merits some nice words to be spoken about her.''

House-to-house, CCTV and forensic enquiries are in the process of being carried out. There are also high visibility patrols in the area and a mobile police station is in place. Members of the public are encouraged to speak to officers if they have concerns or information, police said.

The matter has been voluntarily referred by Merseyside Police to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) as Merseyside Police were investigating a recent allegation of theft on behalf of the woman.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact @MerPolCC on Twitter or ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook or call 101 with reference 24000365898.

Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here