London, UK -- Residents of a south London neighbourhood where an 83-year-old grandmother was set alight in her own home fear it was not an isolated attack. Detectives are continuing to investigate the murder of Victoria Adu-Mensah, who is thought to have been bound and gagged before being set alight in an apparently motiveless attack.
Her body was found by firefighters at her maisonette in Horle Walk on Loughborough Road at 0945 GMT on Thursday.
A post-mortem examination carried out on Friday showed the widow, originally from Ghana, had died of suffocation.
Detective Superintendent Trevor Shepherd told BBC London it was a strange and rare crime.
But neighbours of Mrs Adu-Mensah are worried because they say it is not the first time an elderly person has been singled out to be attacked in their home.
Robert Hall, Mrs Adu-Mensah's neighbour, said: "It is now the fifth old person in a relatively short space of time, which makes you think someone is watching for vulnerable old people."
Mrs Adu-Mensah had walked her grandchildren, aged nine and seven, to the lollipop lady on their way to St John's Angell Town primary school that morning.
Police are appealing for anyone who saw her returning home, or someone entering her home before 0945 GMT to contact them.
Mr Shepherd said: "The person who carried out this offence would probably be distressed, anxious to get away from the area.
"Almost certainly they would have smelt of smoke or possibly some sort of accelerant that might have been used to start the fire."
London, UK -- Residents of a south London neighbourhood where an 83-year-old grandmother was set alight in her own home fear it was not an isolated attack. Detectives are continuing to investigate the murder of Victoria Adu-Mensah, who is thought to have been bound and gagged before being set alight in an apparently motiveless attack.
Her body was found by firefighters at her maisonette in Horle Walk on Loughborough Road at 0945 GMT on Thursday.
A post-mortem examination carried out on Friday showed the widow, originally from Ghana, had died of suffocation.
Detective Superintendent Trevor Shepherd told BBC London it was a strange and rare crime.
But neighbours of Mrs Adu-Mensah are worried because they say it is not the first time an elderly person has been singled out to be attacked in their home.
Robert Hall, Mrs Adu-Mensah's neighbour, said: "It is now the fifth old person in a relatively short space of time, which makes you think someone is watching for vulnerable old people."
Mrs Adu-Mensah had walked her grandchildren, aged nine and seven, to the lollipop lady on their way to St John's Angell Town primary school that morning.
Police are appealing for anyone who saw her returning home, or someone entering her home before 0945 GMT to contact them.
Mr Shepherd said: "The person who carried out this offence would probably be distressed, anxious to get away from the area.
"Almost certainly they would have smelt of smoke or possibly some sort of accelerant that might have been used to start the fire."
