Rose, 68, was found dead at her home on Ancroft Road at 12.35pm on Saturday 4 October. She had been assaulted and suffered a blunt force head injury.

Extensive lines of enquiry have been carried out to date including witness, house-to-house, CCTV and forensic enquiries.

Crimestoppers, which is independent of the police, is supporting the investigation by offering a reward of up to £20,000 for information the charity exclusively receives – either online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling 0800 555 111 at any time – that leads to the arrest of those responsible for Rose’s murder.

From our enquiries detectives now know that Rose was last seen alive at her home in the early hours of Friday 3 October and they are appealing for anyone who saw her or anyone acting suspiciously in the area of Ancroft Road between 3 and 4 October to come forward.

Detective Chief Inspector Catherine Walsh said: “We believe that there is someone living in our communities who is the key to unlocking what happened to Rose and who was responsible.

“That person may be staying quiet out of guilt or fear or maybe they heard or saw something and did not realise its significance at the time. It is to that person that we are making a direct appeal to come forward and speak to us.

“Rose was a loving mum and grandmother and her death has left her family devastated. We remain as resolute as ever to finding the person responsible and would urge the community to support us by telling us what they know.”

Gary Murray, North West Regional Manager at the charity Crimestoppers, said: “Rose was a caring and generous woman who dedicated her life to her family and others. Her murder has shocked the local community, and her family deserve answers.

“We know that people often stay silent if they know something about serious crime like this out of fear or because they don’t want to get involved. But Crimestoppers offers a completely safe and anonymous way to speak up.

“You can contact our charity, which is independent of the police and will never be asked about your personal details. We can’t trace your call or online form, and you’ll remain 100% anonymous. That means no comeback.

“If you know what happened to Rose, or have suspicions about who is responsible, please let us know.”

Please note: No-one will ever know you contacted Crimestoppers. With Fearless.org and Crimestoppers-uk.org, computer IP addresses are never traced. For telephone calls to the independent charity’s UK Contact Centre, there is no caller line display and no 1471 facility. You will stay 100% anonymous. Always.

Crimestoppers is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They cannot trace your call or track your IP address. No one will ever know you contacted us. This means no police, no courts, no witness statements. You may think your information is insignificant, however it could make all the difference.

You can also contact us via social media @MerPolCC on X and Facebook, via our website or by calling 101.