An elderly widow who was found cowering under a pile of clothes after apparently being attacked by intruders died from natural causes, post mortem tests revealed today.

Shortly before she died elderly churchgoer Kathleen Roberts told a relative from her hospital bed that two young boys had hit her across the head.

Detectives investigating the death of the 86-year-old widow said today that while they were not discounting that someone might have been at her home they are not treating her death as murder.

Detective Superintendent Tony Hutchinson, of Cleveland Police, said that post mortem examination results had thrown up a number of questions and detectives were exploring them to try to piece together her last hours.

Speaking at the force headquarters, in Middlesbrough, he said: ''Her death is due to natural causes and other injuries can possibly be explained away.

''However, we are extremely mindful of the words she whispered to her nephew from her hospital bed when she said 'have the two boys who hurt my head gone away'.

''We are also aware that there has been some disturbance in the house which could have been the result of a search by intruders, although money clearly on show has not been touched.

''It could also have been as a result of Kathleen suffering from a medical complaint. She was an 86-year-old lady whose health had been failing in recent times.''

Mrs Roberts had lived at her home in Rudyard Avenue, Stockton on Tees, Cleveland, for 60 years.

Her nephew, Paul Connor, discovered her bruised and dehydrated in a washroom at the rear of her house on Tuesday evening.

Mr Connor, 46, had gone to his aunt's home after becoming concerned when she had not contacted him as planned.

Mrs Roberts was taken to hospital but died early on Thursday morning.

From her hospital bed, Mrs Roberts had managed to tell her nephew that she interrupted two young boys rifling through her possessions and they had turned on her and beaten her around the head.