Police believe the death of a 77-year-old woman in a unit fire is suspicious and have launched a homicide investigation into the incident. A 26-year-old man believed to be a relative is assisting police.

Wyong

Authorities are investigating the death of a 77-year-old woman following a fire in her unit at Bato Bay on the Central Coast. Emergency services arrived to find the fire nearly extinguished and the woman deceased in the lounge room, with severe burns and likely smoke inhalation. Evidence at the scene has led police to treat the incident as a homicide.

A 26-year-old man, believed to be a relative and known to frequent the address, is assisting police with enquiries but has not been charged in connection with the fire or the woman's death. He was arrested earlier for unrelated offences. Police have also found a suspicious item at a nearby oval, believed to be linked to the incident, and are seeking information from the public.

Police investigate death of elderly woman in Central Coast unit fire

There has been a twist in the suspicious death of a 77-year-old woman in a unit fire on the Central Coast. So, for more on this developing story, let's go to Emma Olsen, who is in Wyong. Emma, the Homicide Squad is now investigating. They are, Sandra, and police say all resources will be working around the clock until they know exactly what happened to the 77-year-old woman who died inside her unit overnight. When emergency crews raced to Melissa Close at Bato Bay around 9.30pm, a small fire had almost burned out inside by the time they arrived. The first officers through the door found the woman deceased in the lounge room. She had severe burns and likely smoke inhalation, which is tragic enough, but other evidence found at the scene has now turned this into a homicide investigation. In a further twist, while the crime scene was still being processed, police were also talking to a man who they believe lived at, and often visited, the address. He's 26 and understood to be a relative. We're told he's currently assisting with enquiries here at Wyong, but hasn't been charged in relation to the fire or the woman's death. He does, however, face a number of theft, domestic violence and assault counts after he was arrested on the waterfront earlier yesterday afternoon for unrelated crimes. And police insist, at this stage, he is not a suspect. We're not clear on the cause of death, which is first and foremost, and secondly, on top of that, until we know that, we can't even begin to speculate on what the motivation or circumstances of the death are. Forensic police have also located a secondary scene at Sir Joseph Banks Oval, where a member of the public found a suspicious item which detectives believe has come from the burnt out unit. Police are now asking anyone in the public with any information in relation to this item or the Melissa Close complex to get in contact.

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