POLICE SUSPICIOUS ABOUT DEATH OF 80-YEAR-OLD WOMAN

Grey River Argus, 5 June 1948, Page 4

POLICE SUSPICIOUS ABOUT DEATH OF 80-YEAR-OLD WOMAN

P.A. AUCKLAND, June 4. The body of an 80-year-old woman, who had not been seen for four days, was found by a search party this afternoon, lying on a steep bush track at Birkdale, some 200 yards from a three-roomed bach where she lived with her husband. She was Mrs Rachael Sargent, wife of Frederick W. Sargent, of Beach Road, Birkdale. Following the discovery a squad of police from the Central Station was despatched to the scene. The pathologist, Dr. W. Gilmour, accompanied the party, and made a preliminary examination of the body before it was removed to the city mortuary.

Slight abrasions, which could have been caused by a fall, were the only visible si7ns of in.juiry. Dr. Gilmour will conduct a post-mortem examination to-morrow. Neighbours who had not seen Mrs Sargent since Monday afternoon became concerned, and communicated with the police. Mrs Sargent’s hat was lying 20 or 30 feet away. Her clothes were saturated with rain, and one sand-shoe she had been wearing was missing. The other was not laced up. Interviewed at his bach Sargent said he last saw his wife on Monday afternoon. She had been in the city during the day, and went out again abcut 4.30 p.m. without telling him where she was going. He was not worried when she did not come back and thought she must be staying with friends in the city.