BURNING BODY

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24535, 18 March 1943, Page 2

BURNING BODY

DISCOVERY IN PIT WOMAN DRIVER & TAXICAB MYSTERY POLICE MAKE ARE EST (0.C.) CHI? IST CHURCH, Wednesday Charred almost beyond recognition, the body of Mrs. Willielmina Webster, aged .'Hi, taxi-driver, who was reported missing from Ashburton on Tuesday morning, was discovered burning in an old disused pit behind a private residence in Tinwald, two miles from Ashburton, this afternoon. A single man, aged about 20, who lives at Timvald, was arrested by the police at Ashburton later in the afternoon, and is detained in the Ashburton police station. Suspicion of Neighbour A fire in a disused pit with a wooden cover, at the back of a house occupied by Mrs. Bessie J. McAuloy, at the corner of Jane and Harland Streets, Tinwald, about noon to-day aroused the suspicion of Mrs. W. Drummond, a neighbour. An investigation was made about 3 p.m. by Mr. P. Drummond, who uncovered the pit and saw a burning human body. He informed the Ashburton police. The body was identified as that of Mrs. Webster. All the clothing had been burned from the body, which was charred almost beyond recognition, but portion of a white dust coat which Mrs. Webster was wearing at the time of her disappearance could be identified. The dimensions of the pit, which had not been used for some lime, were about eight feet by four feet by six feet deep. Police Investigations Subsequent investigations made by Senior-Detective H. Nultall, DetectiveSergeant J. J. Nalcrow and Detectives N. Thompson and G. Alty, all of Christchurch, led shortly after to the arrest of a young man at Ashburton. The body was not disturbed until the arrival at Ashburton early this evening of Dr., A. B. Pearson, pathologist, who took charge of the remains to conduct an examination. Mrs. Webster was a driver for MidCanterbury Transport, Limited. She went on the rank on Monday evening and her car was found abandoned near Tinwald on Tuesday morning. Bloodstains were found on the trout and back seats of the car and on the running board. There was a broken lemonade bottle and some false teeth inside the car. More than 300 men were engaged in the search for the missing woman on Tuesday.