A SPECIALIST forensic investigation team will arrive in the region today to try to solve the murder of an 85-year-old widow.

Patricia Thompson’s body was discovered by fire crews in her burnt-out home, in Hartburn, Stockton, on Saturday night.

A post-mortem examination on Sunday revealed that she did not die as a result of the fire, but instead from injuries sustained in an assault.

Police said yesterday their investigation had been put back by two days because of the severe smoke damage to her bungalow.

Cleveland Police have now secured the services of the Specialist Location Recovery Team, based in London. Officers specialising in investigating fires will travel to the North-East today to help with the investigation.

Detective Superintendent Gordon Lang, of Cleveland Police’s murder investigation team, said: “Everything is covered in soot. We are two days behind where we should be with this investigation because of that.

“We have a specialist team coming up from London – there aren’t many teams who can do the work they do.”

Det Supt Lang said 30 officers were now working on the case.

“It is still very difficult to come to terms with anybody doing this,” he said.

“It is difficult to know where to start with something like this, but we are not ruling anything out.

“We hope to know a lot more from the house after the forensic examinations have taken place.

“I cannot elaborate on Mrs Thompson’s injuries, but I can say that she was assaulted.

“Understandably, people locally are shocked and upset, but we have a full team of detectives working on the inquiry and we are doing everything we can to find the person responsible.”

Emma Simpson Court, where Mrs Thompson lived, is a charity-run housing complex for elderly people who have always lived within the Stockton area.

One neighbour said: “It’s a nice place to live if you can get in there. When one of the homes becomes vacant, there’s always about 40 or 50 applicants.

“Pat would have been standing out there at 8am this morning. She was there every day waiting for her lift to church. She was a very nice woman.”

Patricia Thompson.