Step-daughter's torment over mystery death

THE step-daughter of a pensioner whose death in sheltered housing sparked a major police inquiry today told of her continuing torment and how the tragedy has led to her losing her job.

Jacqueline Sanderson, 36, said she lost her cleaning job after being unable to go to work in the wake of the death of 62-year-old Marie Reid.

Mrs Reid was found dead at her home in Drylaw on November 15, but the Crown Office has yet to release her body to the family while the investigation into her death continues.

A post-mortem ruled the cause of her death as "inconclusive", and an 18-year-old man has been charged with raping the pensioner.

Mrs Sanderson said she was left "devastated" by her step-mother's death, and her depression had been worsened by the four-month wait without a funeral being held.

Mrs Sanderson, 36, lived in Edinburgh with her step-mother and late father, Jimmy, between the ages of four and 16 along with her sister, Margaret, 42, brother Stuart, 43, and step-brother Paul Reid, 30.

She said: "Myself and Marie had a really good relationship. When I left home at 16, I only moved round the corner and still saw her pretty much every day.

"After I moved out of Edinburgh, I would visit her all the time. She was always pleased to see me. Her family was very important to her.

"When I heard the circumstances of her death, I couldn't believe it. It's horrible to think about."

Mrs Sanderson lives with her husband, Gordon Sanderson, 53, a refuse collector, in East Lothian.

She added: "I'm suffering very badly from depression at the moment, which got much worse when Marie died. The depression is getting worse because it's taking such a long time for Marie to be buried. We've not been able to get closure from being able to have her funeral. And finding out how she died has made it more difficult too.

"Because of my depression, I wasn't able to go to my work as a cleaner at a high school so I recently lost my jobs as a result. My employers were sympathetic, but eventually I wasn't able to go back and I was let go.

"Marie is going to be buried in the plot next to my dad in Bo'ness, near where my brother stays in South Queensferry. We want to be able to visit her grave and leave flowers."

Forensic experts spent days examining Mrs Reid's home in Easter Drylaw Way following the discovery of her body.

A Crown Office spokesman previously said the family was being kept informed, but added that Mrs Reid's body will only be released when investigations are complete.

Jay Sanday Soso, 18, appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on November 30 charged with rape and four counts of theft. He was also charged with possession of a class B drug and a class A drug.