UNA Crown was murdered for £40 – taken as cash back earlier from Tesco- and her gold wedding ring, BBC Crimewatch revealed.
Viewers heard that Una was stabbed repeatedly in the heart and lungs and injuries to her right hand indicated that she had tried to defend herself.
Detective Inspector David Grierson said: “We do not think the knife came from the bungalow. The attacker brought it with him.
“From her injuries we were able to establish it was probably a long bladed kitchen knife 10 inches (25 cms) long. We have not found it, and we need to.
“The person who killed her is very dangerous and needs to be caught fast. We believe Una was attacked almost immediately after she opened the door.
Nephew John Payne told millions of viewers last night how he discovered his 86 year-old aunt’s body when he went to collect her for Sunday lunch.
“Her body was all burned and her clothing was all burned,” he said. “I noticed there was blood on the carpet.”
Police used the programme to appeal for the knife used to stab Mrs Crown of Magazine Lane, Wisbech, after viewers watched a reconstruction of her murder.
Mrs Crown was found dead in her bungalow on Sunday January 13. Her body was face downwards in the hall, and had been burned in a calculated attempt to destroy evidence. Her home had not been ransacked.
Niece and nephew Judy and John Payne, who had accompanied Mrs Crown on her last shopping trip on Friday January 11, were both interviewed for the programme.
Judy said: “I can’t imagine what she went through, it must have been horrendous. It absolutely haunts me. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to do it.
“I find it very hard to come to terms with it all, it is heartbreaking.”
She was described as very security conscious, and always locked herself in when at home alone. Family have said it is unlikely she would open the door to a stranger.
The Crimewatch programme showed CCTV footage of Mrs Crown leaving Tesco on Friday January 11, and a reconstruction showed her talking to a friend on the phone at 5pm on Saturday January 12.
Police believe she was killed between 5pm and her normal bedtime of 10pm. Her bed had not been slept in and she was still wearing normal daytime clothes.
Det Insp Grierson said the fire started to burn Mrs Crown’s body “had not spread, but there would have been a lot of smoke. Did someone come home smelling of smoke or with fire damaged clothes?”
He appealed for the “vital piece of information or evidence that tells us who was responsible for this.”
Det Insp Grierson said today: “We received a number of interesting calls following the reconstruction which we will be following up over the next few days.”
A £10,000 reward has been offered by Crimestoppers for an arrest and conviction of Mrs Crown’s killer
Anyone with any information should call the Major Crime Unit on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here