KEY POINTS:
A post-mortem examination of the body of an elderly West Auckland woman has been inconclusive, police say.
Police yesterday started an inquiry into the death of Beryl Campbell, four days after she died from what were believed to be natural causes.
Detective Senior Sergeant Jill Rogers said there
were no determining factors from today's autopsy that fully satisfied police.
"This is an unexplained death. There are a number of people whom we are talking too. Our enquiries are focused on firmly establishing the true cause of death to the deceased,"
Mrs Campbell was found dead in her Henderson home on Friday evening by neighbours and police initially treated the case as a natural death.
But detectives yesterday reopened the case after receiving new information about the fit 84-year-old.
Police would not say what that new information was, but it is understood it relates to the death being a potential homicide.
A source close to the family said a man walked into a police station yesterday saying his father had tried to commit suicide last Thursday after strangling Mrs Campbell.
The man, who lived in the same street as Mrs Campbell, is believed to be in a coma in Waitakere Hospital.
Mrs Campbell's daughter, Jacqueline Bowcock, refused to discuss her mother's death last night, saying it was "not appropriate" to comment.
Waitemata Police District communications manager Kevin Loughlin said police were interviewing a number of people in relation to the death.
It is understood Mrs Campbell was found by neighbours who had gone to take her dinner on Friday night.
They saw her sitting in her chair and thought she had fallen asleep while watching television.
When they returned several hours later and saw her in the same position, they called the police.
Neighbour Debbie Sadler said Mrs Campbell was a fit and healthy woman who was very independent and had lived in the street for many years.
"I just absolutely admired her, she was lovely. She was always outside - painting her fence, spray-painting furniture, gardening. She was just an amazing lady."
Another neighbour said Mrs Campbell cleaned the home of the people who found her until recently and she was a lively lady.
"She liked to have a drink. She always had wild-coloured hair. Depending on the day, it went from pink to blonde and back again. She had great outfits, she was a zany old lady."
Another woman said Mrs Campbell was always well-groomed with manicured nails and carefully applied makeup.
She could still drive a car and was a life member of the women's section of the Swanson RSA.
Mrs Campbell had two children with her late husband, seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Her funeral had been planned for today but has been postponed as a result of the new information.
Local residents say police arrived at her house yesterday afternoon and had been questioning neighbours about whether they had seen anything.
Her driveway, which is shared with another unit at the back of her house, remained cordoned off by police tape last night.
In a death notice printed on Tuesday, relatives said Mrs Campbell had died "unexpectedly" but peacefully at her home. In the notice they asked "Why did you go so suddenly?"
Today's death notices say that her funeral service, which was to be held at the Swanson RSA, has been postponed until further notice.
