Fears 5 murder-suicides of frail couples were work of serial killer still at large as 11 crime scene clues revealed
ELEVEN crime scene clues have led cops to believe that the deaths of five couples could be the work of a serial killer.
A 179-page report handed to cops last month claims a murderer could be on the loose after an extensive review of a 1996 case linked it to others.
The Clues
1 Howard Ainsworth has his head covered with a plastic bag and ligature
2 Bea Ainsworth had a knife sticking out of her head and injuries from a hammer
3 The bag on Mr Ainsworth's head was covered in blood, indicating he already had it on when his wife was attacked
4 Only a small amount of blood was on Mr Ainsworth's pyjamas
5 Mr Ainsworth's body was found in an unusual position, suggesting it could have been moved
6 The tip of the knife in Mrs Ainsworth's head was forced in with considerable force
7 The hammer was found washed in the sink, which would be an unusual thing to do if Mr Ainsworth was about to take his own life
8 Another hammer is also at the scene
9 A possible second ligature is on the floor, potentially left by the killer
10 A bottle of pills was scattered on the floor, but it was a drug not prescribed to the couple
11 A suicide note, from Mr Ainsworth was found, but he could have been forced to sign it
Research was carried out by a coroner’s officer in her spare time after several similarities were first identified between two cases.
Police were convinced Beatrice Ainsworth’s devoted husband Howard, 79, had committed murder-suicide at home in Wilmslow, Cheshire.
Former parks gardener Howard had apparently bludgeoned Bea, 78, with a hammer before stabbing her in the forehead with such force the knife snapped.
He was found lying next to her, his head propped up against the headboard and hooded with a bag — along with a suicide note nearby.
HOWARD AND BEATRICE
THE Ainsworths’ bodies were found on April 28, 1996, in Wilmslow, Cheshire.
Cops discovered Howard, 79, and Bea, 78, had joined a voluntary euthanasia society six years earlier and found a suicide note in his handwriting.
But in the hours before they were found dead, there were no signs of the violence to come. He seemed happy and relaxed as he mowed the lawn.
WHY SUSPICIOUS?: Excessive use of violence inconsistent with their belief in dying with dignity.
The coroner ruled murder-suicide. But the confidential report identifies sinister parallels with another murder-suicide case three years later just two miles away.
Again, a devoted elderly couple, Donald and Auriel Ward, were found lying on their bloodstained bed wearing their nightclothes.
Auriel, 68, had also been bludgeoned, stabbed and suffocated with a pillow. Donald, 73, had a gaping slit across his throat and a knife stuck in his chest.
The inquest coroner concluded retired chemist Donald killed his wife of 45 years and then himself.
But experts point to the two knife wounds and ask whether he had the strength to inflict the second.
Now, more than two decades later, fresh questions are being asked amid calls for a new probe to be launched into a potential serial killer.
A total of 11 clues indicate the deaths could be the work of a twisted serial killer.
A coroner officer’s initial review was later advanced by her successor.
Three other murder-suicides, in 2000, 2008 and 2011, each one involving elderly couples in the North West, have since been identified for further investigation.
Those victims were Michael Higgins, 59, and ex-cop wife, Violet, 76; Ken Martin, 77, and his wife Eileen, 76, and Stan Wilson, 92, and his wife Peggie, 89.
Ken and Eileen’s former son-in-law said the family were convinced the case remained murder-suicide.
DONALD AND AURIEL
THE Wards’ bodies were found on November 26, 1999, at their home in Wilmslow, Cheshire.
Cops concluded murder-suicide and suggested Donald, 73, lost his mind before stabbing his wife, 68.
A coroner said “not a single shred of evidence would suggest a time bomb waiting to explode.”
WHY SUSPICIOUS?: Similarities with Ainsworth case. No history of domestic violence.
Dennis Tong, 63, who discovered the couple’s bodies with his ex-wife Elaine, said: “Ken must have done it on the spur of the moment.
“I think he just crumbled under the pressure of looking after Eileen who had dementia.” Stan and Peggie’s son Graham, of Kendal, Cumbria, said his dad was suffering paranoid delusions at the time, adding: “It was just a tragedy caused by my father’s illness.”
But Cheshire's senior coroner’s officer Stephanie Davies, who wrote the report, says the evidence cannot be ignored.
She handed it to Cheshire Police last month and is now calling for the National Crime Agency and Interpol to urgently review other cases across Britain and Europe.
Cheshire Police said it was conducting an urgent assessment of her findings and has contacted Greater Manchester Police and Cumbria in relation to the other three cases.
In her report, Davies profiles the serial killer as a younger man, more powerful than his victims, who is likely to have befriended them.
KENNETH AND EILEEN
THE Martins’ bodies were discovered on November 10, 2008, in Davyhulme, also in Greater Manchester.
The devoted pair were only a few hours away from celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary.
Kenneth, 77, had prostate cancer and had been struggling to care for Eileen, 76, who had dementia.
The night before, he had told his daughter he could no longer cope.
WHY SUSPICIOUS?: Looming anniversary, out of character, method of attack, no domestic abuse history.
She also suggests the murderer “had a strong hatred toward women, especially domineering females”.
She concludes: “This individual will not stop killing until someone or something stops him.
“The acts of dominating the victims, carrying out the murders, and fooling the police, are all addictive to him.
"He will have meticulously planned each murder, ensured he left no forensic evidence and followed the cases in the media.”
The murder-suicide conclusion of the Ainsworths caused significant concern at the time, as did that of the Wards three years later but nothing was done.
Davies was handed the files of “special interest” in 2017 when she was appointed and continued to re-examine them in her spare time.
She carried out extensive nationwide research.
In two cases in Greater Manchester, the elderly woman had been stabbed in the neck and suffered “blunt force trauma” to her head, apparently by a husband who then took his own life.
MICHAEL AND VIOLET
MICHAEL and Violet Higgins were both found dead on February 21, 2000, in Didsbury, Greater Manchester
Michael, 59, had Parkinson’s disease and former police officer Violet, 76, had told him she was leaving him and returning to her native Ireland. He would be moved into a nursing home.
But his bother Daniel insisted: “I could never imagine him hurting someone or himself.’’
WHY SUSPICIOUS?: Out of character, no history of domestic violence.
US forensic expert Steve Chancellor was recruited to review the findings relating to the Ainsworth and Ward cases and concluded cops “missed or misinterpreted” vital clues.
The Ainsworths had joined a voluntary euthanasia society but he said: “I would be looking at the same offender in both cases as a very real possibility.
"I just do not see Mr Ainsworth acting in such a violent manner against his wife.”
Referring to the other cases, he went on: “There is no history of domestic violence within the marriage and, more importantly, in each case the husband’s alleged perpetrator actions were described as out of character.
STANLEY AND PEGGIE
THE Wilsons were found on February 18, 2011, in Kendal, Cumbria.
Stanley, 92, and Peggie, 89, married in 1997 and were “a very devoted couple who did everything together” her daughter Sandra said.
But he had begun suffering from paranoia — and even accused her of trying to poison him.
WHY SUSPICIOUS?: Out of character, no history of violence, method of attack.
“I would suggest a detailed look throughout the country for any additional victims or similar cases.”
In the Ainsworth case, an examination of Howard’s body found a surprising lack of blood on his pyjamas or hands, given the ferocity of the attack on his wife. But blood was found spattered on the bag over his head which he apparently suffocated himself with — suggesting he was already lying dead when she met her violent end.
A review of the Wards case by the now defunct National Crime Faculty concluded they could not rule out the possibility there had been an “extremely skilful attempt to ‘stage’ the crime” to make it look like no third party was involved.
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Ex-Met detective chief inspector Peter Kirkham said: “The report makes allegations there may be a serial killer on the loose and provides a large number of reasons for coming to that conclusion. Those allegations should be examined.”
A spokesman for Cheshire Police said: “Where new information comes to light it is reviewed and acted upon if appropriate. We have notified Greater Manchester Police and Cumbria Constabulary.”