This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/shropshire/7590372.stm
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Search of arson house to continue | Search of arson house to continue |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Police will continue to search the burnt-out Shropshire home of a missing millionaire and his family, where two bodies were found on Saturday. | Police will continue to search the burnt-out Shropshire home of a missing millionaire and his family, where two bodies were found on Saturday. |
Businessman Christopher Foster, 50, his wife Jillian, 49, and daughter Kirstie, 15, have not been seen since Osbaston House burnt down early on Tuesday. | Businessman Christopher Foster, 50, his wife Jillian, 49, and daughter Kirstie, 15, have not been seen since Osbaston House burnt down early on Tuesday. |
The building, near Maesbrook, was deliberately set alight, police said. | The building, near Maesbrook, was deliberately set alight, police said. |
The remains will be examined by a Home Office pathologist and post-mortem examinations will be carried out. | The remains will be examined by a Home Office pathologist and post-mortem examinations will be carried out. |
A search for a possible third body and detailed examination of the burnt-out building will continue later. We will keep an open mind concerning what we may, or may not find Supt Gary Higgins | A search for a possible third body and detailed examination of the burnt-out building will continue later. We will keep an open mind concerning what we may, or may not find Supt Gary Higgins |
A special service will be held in St John's Church in Maesbrook at 1000 BST, where prayers will be said for the family and their friends. | A special service will be held in St John's Church in Maesbrook at 1000 BST, where prayers will be said for the family and their friends. |
West Mercia Police said the bodies were found in the main part of the house, but the search of the property was likely to take some days, possibly several weeks. | West Mercia Police said the bodies were found in the main part of the house, but the search of the property was likely to take some days, possibly several weeks. |
Police said they could not give any further details such as the gender or age of the bodies which were found. | Police said they could not give any further details such as the gender or age of the bodies which were found. |
Formal identification was yet to take place and there were a range of techniques which could help, such as dental records and DNA profiles, Supt Gary Higgins said.Special prayers will be said for the family at a church service on Sunday | |
He added: "It is going to be a painstaking and lengthy process before the full examination of the house and its surrounds is completed. | He added: "It is going to be a painstaking and lengthy process before the full examination of the house and its surrounds is completed. |
"In the meantime, we will keep an open mind concerning what we may, or may not find." | |
He said while the bodies remained unidentified, the Foster family still remained unaccounted for. | He said while the bodies remained unidentified, the Foster family still remained unaccounted for. |
Police have retrieved two computers from the house and were examining them, as well as CCTV cameras. | Police have retrieved two computers from the house and were examining them, as well as CCTV cameras. |
Three horses found dead in a stable block, which was also gutted in the fire, have now been examined and police are awaiting test results. | Three horses found dead in a stable block, which was also gutted in the fire, have now been examined and police are awaiting test results. |
Detectives also confirmed the bodies of three dogs had been found close to the horses and a large horse box, parked close to the gates of the property, had been removed from the site for forensic examination.Advertisement | |
Forensic teams examining the inside of the house | |
The fire in the house, thought to be valued at £1.2m, started at about 0500 BST on Tuesday. | The fire in the house, thought to be valued at £1.2m, started at about 0500 BST on Tuesday. |
Mr Foster, who made his fortune developing insulation technology for oil rigs, is listed as the director of Ulva Limited - a thermal insulation manufacturing company in Telford - with Mrs Foster named as company secretary. | |
The firm went into administration in August last year and a court order was issued in November for the company to be wound up. | |
A judge later found Mr Foster had spent the previous months stripping Ulva of its assets and transferring them to a new firm he had set up called Ulva International. | |
Anyone with information about the fire has been asked to contact West Mercia Police's incident room at Shrewsbury or Crimestoppers. |