Murder inquiry over Midlands deaths

Guiseppe and Caterina Massaro, aged 80 and 77, were found by relative in bedroom in ransacked house in Wolverhampton Detectives in the West Midlands have launched a double murder investigation after an elderly couple were discovered dead in their bedroom over the Easter weekend. Guiseppe and Caterina Massaro, aged 80 and 77, were found by a relative in their bedroom in their ransacked home in Wolverhampton on Friday night. The couple, originally from Italy, had moved to England in 1960. Post mortem examinations have been carried, but there was no immediate indication as to how the couple had died. They were said to have been found on their bed, but there were no signs of blood or of them having put up any resistance. In a tribute released through West Midlands police, the Massaro family said they could not “begin to grasp the evil” that had taken place. It said: “Words cannot describe the devastation that has struck our family after discovering our beloved grandparents hurt by the hands of someone else. We cannot even begin to grasp the evil that took place in their home, and how frightened they would have been. “An entire generation was taken away from us that day, and we cannot comprehend how something could go this far. “We only hope this devastation can save the lives of many other people by being aware that tragedy can strike at any time, so all we can do is be more vigilant towards our neighbours and the entire community. “Their lives will be sadly missed, and this has severely affected our family and a lot of our friends.” The couple had two children and a number of grandchildren. One grand-daughter, Lindsey Booth, 22, told the Sunday Mercury it was clear that the couple’s home had been burgled. “When I got upstairs, I opened their bedroom door and saw my grandad lying still on top of the mattress,” she said. “I screamed to my mum to stay downstairs and walked over to touch the body, and it was cold and clearly dead. “That’s when I noticed my gran lying next to him … her body had been covered by the duvet. They were both still in their day clothes, and I didn’t see any blood or signs that there had been a struggle.” Neighbours paid tribute to the couple, and bunches of flowers were left near their home. One card read: “In loving memory of Cath and Joe. Great neighbours, will be sadly missed, never forgotten.” One local, Sarah Roberts, 61, said: “I only spoke to them a couple of days ago, and he wished me well. Another, 46-year-old Justin Greenwood, said: “They were always out and about, they seemed to live outside, maybe a continental way of life.” Detectives are trying to track the movements of the couple’s black Peugeot 307, which went missing from outside their house and was later found in nearby Wednesfield. The car is thought to have some distinctive features, including an orange fir tree air freshener hanging from the rear view mirror and a sticker of the Virgin Mary on the windscreen. Superintendent Mark Payne, from the Wolverhampton local policing unit, said: “We have had a really positive response so far from the people of Wolverhampton. “I am still appealing to anyone who may have seen this car, or seen people coming or going from this address on Thursday or Friday. “Tragedies like this are extremely rare but have enormous impact. Local people hold the key to finding who is responsible for this terrible tragedy.” Crime Owen Bowcott guardian.co.uk

Posted by on April 24, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.