Police investigating the murder of a mum-of-six are struggling to find answers or even a cause of death almost three weeks after her body was found on a dog-walking route near Ipswich. On July 24, Anita Rose, 57, woke up early at her home in Brantham and took her springer spaniel Bruce for a walk, leaving her home in the quiet Suffolk village at around 5am. Less than 90 minutes later she was discovered lying unconscious on a path between a sewage works and the Ipswich to London railway line after her dog alerted a passing cyclist.
Anita had serious head injuries. Emergency services arrived minutes later and she was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge where she remained in a critical condition until she died four days later. The death of the “beautiful” and “incredibly kind” grandmother-of-13 has sent shockwaves through the quiet community where she lived.
One of the last images of Anita, a doorbell camera video of her on her walk, shows her in a pink zip-up jacket which was missing when she was discovered, along with her iPhone . A Home Office post-mortem examination was also unable to establish a cause of death, with the authorities saying more tests were needed. Since then police have combed the area, speaking to more than 630 people, taking 90 statements, 150 tips and analysing CCTV.
Detectives recovered her smartphone and have arrested three people from Brantham and nearby Ipswich. Two men were held on suspicion of murder and a woman was detained on suspicion of handling stolen goods. All three have been released on conditional bail, the Times reports.
Meanwhile police are still looking for her pink jacket and have appealed to the public asking any possible witnesses to come forward. Dawn Lamb, 57, who has lived next door to the family for four years, said: “She was an incredibly kind woman who wouldn’t hurt anybody. They’re a smashing family.
I feel so sorry for them all.” Locals report being afraid to walk their dogs alone now while family members are desperate for answers.“She wasn’t just a mum of six, she was also a grandma to 13, a long-term partner, a mother-in-law and a special friend to so many,” the family said in a statement, adding that she was “brutally taken from us devastatingly too early, and we have been robbed of so much time with her”.
Rose’s son Ash posted an appeal on Facebook for the public to help police with their investigation. He said: “The person responsible for doing this to my mum and my children’s Grandma is still out there! “Our family appreciates the kind words but please please share and speak to friends or family who may know something, no matter how small or insignificant they think it might be, and please urge them to contact the police.”.
