Shocked relatives of a couple who suffered horrific deaths in 1999 have backed a probe into whether the pair were slain by a serial killer.
Donald and Auriel Ward were thought to have died in a grisly murder-suicide.
But, as the Mirror reported yesterday, a report by Stephanie Davies, senior coroner’s officer for Cheshire, suggests they – and four other elderly couples in the north – could have fallen prey to a maniac.
A relative of Wilmslow couple Donald and Auriel said the new serial killer theory was “quite plausible”.
They told the Mirror: “The police should certainly investigate this. It’s come as quite a shock.
“I have never been con- vinced about Donald killing anybody. He was a very gentle chap.
“Many relatives have now died thinking Donald killed Auriel. So if there is truth in this, it makes it even harder.”
The Wards died in 1999. Auriel, 68, was beaten, stabbed and suffocated, her head part-covered with a pillow. Donald, 73, was found with a knife in his heart.
At first police treated the case as murder, but a coroner later ruled Donald took his own life after killing his wife.
But the Wards’ deaths bore striking similarities to those of another Wilmslow couple – Howard and Beatrice Ainsworth – three years earlier.
Beatrice, 78, was found in bed with a knife in her forehead. She had been hit with a hammer and, like Auriel, her face was half-obscured by a pillow Howard, 79, was beside her with his head in a bag.
The police declared the case a murder-suicide after a note, apparently from Howard, was found.
The couple’s son John, now 66, was a suspect but was discounted. He told police about his father’s belief in euthanasia, which was backed by a neighbour.
Other deaths in the report are that of Violet and Michael Higgins, in East Didsbury, Greater Manchester, in 2000, Eileen and Kenneth Martin in Davyhulme, in the same county in 2008, and Stanley and Peggy Wilson, in Kendal, Cumbria, in 2011.
Cheshire Police has alerted Greater Manchester and Cumbria forces.
Last night Greater Manchester Police said they were contacted about “two historic cases” and had discussed “next steps” with coroners.
Cumbria said they will review the report when they receive it.
