The family of a mother-of-six who was found unconscious after taking her dog for a walk have today issued an urgent plea for help three months on from her murder.
Anita Rose, 57, left her house in the Suffolk village of Brantham to take her springer spaniel Bruce for a walk at around 5am on July 24. She was found unconscious at about 6.25am with serious head injuries, and died in hospital four days later.
There have been three arrests in connection with the inquiry – a man aged in his 20s and a 45-year-old man on suspicion of murder, and a 37-year-old woman on suspicion of handling stolen goods. All three were subsequently released on bail.
Suffolk Police released CCTV images on September 4 of two potential witnesses who were not suspects but that officers said they believed could assist with the investigation. One was identified by September 13, but the other is still unknown.
No one has been charged in connection with the death – and Ms Rose’s heartbroken family spoke to Crimewatch Live on BBC One this morning as they pleaded for help.
Jessica Cox, Ms Rose’s daughter, told the programme: ‘Her injuries that she sustained – she didn’t look like my mum. The doctors tried to do what they could, but she passed away on the Sunday morning.’
She added: ‘We don’t understand how someone could brutally, horrifically attack someone when they’re walking their dog. I really want anyone who has any information, however small or insignificant it may be, to come forward and speak to the police.
‘We need to find the person that done this to my mum. They need to face justice. It won’t be enough, but they’ve done it to my mum, and they could do it to somebody else, and they’re still out there.’
During an emotional interview, Ms Cox also described her mother as a ‘beautiful, strong, independent woman’ who was ‘funny’ and ‘so kind’.
She continued: ‘My mum’s got six kids – I’ve got four brothers and a sister – and she looks after all of us. And she loved to spend time with all of us, with all of her grandchildren.
‘My mum has a long-term partner, Richard, they’ve been together 13 years. They adored each other and mum was planning on growing old with him. And my mum dotes on us all, and we miss her. ‘
Ms Cox said her mother moved to Brantham about six years ago and ‘just loved the area’, enjoying walking and seeing people in the community. She added that her mother ‘said to me that she feels safe here’.
She added: ‘Mum would get up early to walk Bruce in the mornings so that he had a good walk before she went to work. Being a springer, he needed a lot of exercise.’
Speaking about her mother’s funeral on September 20, Ms Cox continued: ‘It was a difficult day because we shouldn’t be having to have a funeral for my mum.
‘She’s 57 years old and she had so much to live for, so much she was looking forward to. She was supposed to be on holiday right now.
‘We just haven’t, well we haven’t got our mum and our mum isn’t here to look after us anymore. My mum is going to miss out on birthdays, the birth of my nephew, her grandson. She’s going to miss my brother getting married next year.’
It comes after Crimestoppers last week launched a £20,000 reward for key information in the case that it exclusively receives through its website or phone calls, which is available until January 3.
A location tracking application on Ms Rose’s phone indicated that her walk started at 5am in Palfrey Heights.
It showed that her walk reached the end of Newmill Lane by the river before she turned around and retraced her steps back up Newmill Lane where the app was manually stopped at 6:03am, close to The Street, at the top of Newmill Lane.
Further analysis has shown that it was normal for the app to be stopped at this point in Anita’s usual walk.
Police continue to appeal for anyone who may have seen Ms Rose – or anyone else – that morning, especially between 6am and 6.30am, to get in touch.
They are particularly keen to hear of any suspicious people seen from the top of Newmill Lane, at the junction with The Street, to the track road between the railway line and the Anglia Water sewage treatment plant, near Rectory Lane where Anita was found, as well as any suspicious vehicles seen in the area.
Detectives also continue to appeal for Anita’s missing cerise Regatta Calderdale II jacket and black phone case which is described as a black wallet-style quilted case with gold crown and stud detail.
Last month police confirmed one of the two people in the CCTV appeal had been identified, but the other had not. The force confirmed on Crimewatch today that this was still the case.
Anyone with information that could help is asked to contact Suffolk Police quoting 37/41580/24, by calling 101 or at mipp.police.uk. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org