Murdered mum 'may have known killer' (From Kingston Guardian)

Murdered mum 'may have known killer'

7:00am Friday 22nd June 2012 in News By Tom Barnes

Murdered mother Margaret Sheehy “may have known her attacker”, police have said.

The detective leading the investigation said it was likely the murderer was invited into the Springfield Road flat where the 58-year-old was found dead by colleagues on June 12 because there was no sign of forced entry.

Detective Constable Nick Scola said he did not believe Ms Sheehy, who lived alone, was in a relationship at the time of her death though this could not be confirmed. It is believed Ms Sheehy went shopping in Kingston town centre after work on Monday and died that night.

D Con Scola, based in Sutton, said: “We are working under the belief that Ms Sheehy may have known her attacker and let that person into the flat as there was no sign of forced entry. There has been no arrest as yet and we are conducting a number of lines of enquiry. Investigations are still ongoing at this time and we are urging anyone with information to come forward.”

The ex-partner of Ms Sheehy, known by her friends as Margot, has spoken of his sadness at the news. Edwin Heiss is the father of Ms Sheehy’s sons, Chris and Sean, but was not in contact with the financial consultant before she was found dead in her Kingston flat on Tuesday, June 12.

Younger son Chris is currently living in Auckland, New Zealand, while older sibling Sean, thought to be in his mid-30s, lives a mile or so away in Surbiton.

The couple met in Marbella, Spain, and were together for about three years. They took many holidays, including ones to Portugal and Chile, but the pair never married. They have not been together for about 18 years and last spoke in 1997.

Mr Manieu said Ms Sheehy was a “wonderful person” and did not know she was in England, thinking she was living in Ireland.

Ms Sheehy, 58, was discovered by colleagues from IntelliFlo who forced their way into her flat after she failed to turn up for work. Detectives at the scene believed she had died from head injuries, but a postmortem examination later revealed the cause of death as asphyxiation.

Mr Heiss, who works in IT and lives abroad, said the two were in love but had grown apart, something he now regrets.

He said: “She is the mother of our two sons. It is sad, so sad.

“For some reason, call it love, call it the right moment at the right place, yes, we were in love; and through time we became strangers to each other. I am very much sad about this, the final loss, but little is what I can do.”

Colleagues from the Kingston-based finance firm where she worked were struggling to come to terms with the news.

A spokesman for IntelliFlo said: “We are all extremely shocked to have lost a valued colleague in this awful way. Margot was a well liked member of our company and will be missed. Our thoughts are with her loved ones.”

Anyone with information should call Sutton CID on 020 8721 4005. Did you know Ms Sheehy? Email Tom Barnes at tbarnes@london.newsquest.co.

uk or call 020 8744 4273.