A DISABLED woman was killed by a head injury and her oven gas rings were on when her body was found – but there was no sign of a break-in at her bungalow.

Police investigating the suspected murder of 51-year-old Julie Fox in Carnforth Drive, Worcester, have revealed the details of her death in the hope of witnesses coming forward.

Ms Fox was found dead in her bungalow shortly before 6.50pm on Wednesday (December 27) after neighbours alerted the emergency services due to the smell of gas coming from the property.

A post mortem carried out yesterday established that Ms Fox, who lived in the bungalow alone, died from an injury to her head.

Detective Superintendent Adrian McGee said yesterday: “We are conducting an investigation to establish how Julie died – we are treating it as murder.

“We are trying to build up a more detailed picture of Julie,” he continued.

“We know she was a solitary person, however she was well known in Worcester.

“She had restricted mobility and would regularly travel around the town in her electric mobility scooter, often with her little dog in the basket on the front.

“She used to go into coffee shops in the town and would often visit the Crowngate shopping centre.

“When not in Worcester town centre she would go shopping in supermarkets close to her home.

“If you knew Julie or saw her in the last couple of weeks then we would like to speak to you.

“Any information will help us to get a better picture of her and help to establish how she died.”

Ms Fox was last seen by her carer between 6pm and 7pm on Friday (December 22).

Det Supt McGee added: “At some point between this time on Friday and when she was discovered on the evening of Wednesday (December 27), Julie suffered a fatal head injury and died.

“I’m appealing to people in the local area to think back over the last few days. Did you see anyone acting suspiciously in the area? Did you hear anything out of the ordinary? Did you see anyone going into or coming out of Julie’s bungalow?

“Maybe you were visiting family in the area over Christmas and saw something that didn’t look right. If so, we’re extremely keen to speak to you.”

Det Supt McGee confirmed that the gas rings in the bungalow were on when Julie’s body was discovered.

He said: “The smell of gas is what originally alerted a neighbour to the situation. There were no signs of a break-in at the bungalow but we do know that on occasions Julie would leave her front door unlocked.

“We understand how concerning this incident is for the local community and I would like to reassure people that there will be increased patrols in the area while this investigation continues. If you have any concerns please don’t hesitate to speak to one of these officers.”

Anyone with information can call 101 and quote incident 597s of December 27, 2017.

A neighbour of Ms Fox told the Worcester News she had cerebral palsy and had once been a student at Regency High School just yards from her home.