00:02:38
ITN
Police bid to identify fire bodies
Police bid to identify fire bodies
Police are still trying to formally identify two of the three bodies found in a burnt-out family mansion. It is hoped that post-mortem examinations will reveal who the victims are and what caused their deaths. The third body found in the house has now been removed by police. Officers have already confirmed that millionaire Christopher Foster's 49-year-old wife Jill, 49, was found dead in the burnt-out remains of Osbaston House in Maesbrook, Shropshire. A murder inquiry was launched when post-mortem tests established the cause of Mrs Foster's death as a gunshot wound to the head. Mr Foster or the the couple's daughter Kirstie, 15, have not been seen since they went to a family friend's barbecue on the evening of August 25. A blaze started in the early hours of the following morning destroyed the mansion, leaving only a charred shell. Speculation has continued to grow over what happened at the home of Mr Foster, 50, who amassed his fortune developing insulation technology for oil rigs. A gun found near the two bodies has been identified as a .22 rifle which was legitimately owned by the businessman. Police are now trying to establish whether it was used to kill Mrs Foster, three horses and four dogs found shot dead in the mansion's grounds.
ITN | September 2, 2008
