A man has been arrested over the murder of a 79-year-old foster carer whose body was found in her burned out home.
A 32-year-old man was detained on Tuesday morning on suspicion of murdering Norma Bell in Hartlepool, County Durham, police said.
Bell, a foster parent to more than 50 children, was discovered on the ground floor of her fire-ravaged house on Sunday morning.
Detectives believe she may have disturbed a burglar or confronted a confidence trickster, who then started a fire to try to cover up the killing.
Her handbag and hundreds of pounds of cash were missing from her property, police said on Tuesday.
Bell, a popular local figure who had three children of her own, spent more than 30 years taking in foster children and helping to bring them up with her late husband, John.
The blaze started shortly before 8.25am on Sunday and gutted a large part of the downstairs living area, where Bell’s body was found. A postmortem revealed she had died of injuries suffered before the fire, police said on Monday night.
Detectives have urged families to check on elderly relatives in the area to ensure their properties were safe and secure.
Bell had lived alone in the property since the death of her husband in 2010.
In a statement, her family said: “Our mum was a loving and caring person who lived for her family. To lose her in this manner is heartbreaking. We would urge anybody with information regarding the death of our mother to come forward and speak to police.”
Speaking earlier this week, Det Supt Alastair Simpson, of Cleveland police, said: “We now know, following a postmortem examination, that Norma died prior to the fire in her home and we have launched a murder investigation. Officers are carrying out a number of lines of inquiry including house to house and CCTV inquiries.
“Whilst it is too early to say what the motive is or whether the suspect was known to Mrs Bell, I would remind anyone in the local area who may have an elderly or vulnerable relative or neighbour to check on them.
“Similarly, I would also remind people not to allow anyone into their home who is not known to them or who purports to be an official from an organisation without first checking their identification.”
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