Man arrested in Betty Yates murder hunt - Telegraph.co.uk

She is believed to have been beaten with her walking stick and stabbed in the neck two days earlier.

Police suspect her death may have been the result of a burglary gone wrong but Hazel Costello, Mrs Yates's daughter, said last week that she feared her mother may have known her killer.

She said: "To lose your mum like this, when you worry constantly about how frightened she might have been or what she might have felt during such a vicious attack, is like a nightmare.

"We don't know if it was a burglary or if there was any other reason. It is possible our mum knew who killed her and this only makes things worse."

Mrs Yates shared the £300,000 cottage with her husband Raymond, a consultant engineer, until his death seven years ago.

She was active with Bewdley Civic Society and other community groups.

Crimestoppers has offered a £10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the killer.