Family want justice for slain 76-year-old

Lorraine Shepheard was found murdered in her flat ten years ago, but the image of her lifeless body still haunts her family to this day; so much so, that they are leaving no stone unturned in their quest for answers. The family vows not to rest until they find justice for her.

The-76-year-old’s neck was slit with a sharp object during a house robbery that allegedly went wrong in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape. According to her granddaughter, Jessica Greasley who resides in Fourways, Lorraine tried to fight for her life, but she was overpowered by an unknown perpetrator from what was observed during investigations.

“She loved wearing long nails, so she had blood and a bit of flesh in them, which suggests she tried to protect herself but unfortunately, what could she possibly have done because she was an elderly lady? She suffered blunt forced trauma to the head and was beaten to death.”

That is the same reason Jessica is trying everything in her power to get to the bottom of her murder. She said it has been ten years but there have been no arrests or progress on the case – the family is still in the dark about who murdered their grandmother.

“It is not easy to lose a loved one in that manner. We see other murder cases being resolved with arrests made daily. But when we turn our heads, ours is still open and no one has been arrested, nothing happened. It is so painful because it’s triggering. The detectives who dealt with her case have continuously changed over the years; it is just a lot.”

Desperate times, called for desperate measures, she said, “We had to raise an amount of R25 000 as a reward to anyone who might help us with information because we are desperate for answers.”

But there is a catch, to avoid swindlers, she said, “The reward will only be paid out if the information leads to an arrest and conviction.”

She also took to social media and posted in the Fourways community group on Facebook as a leap of faith. She said she understands it might sound a bit impossible, but she is not losing hope.

“When I posted my late grandma in the group, I thought maybe someone might recognise her, and her story and then help us. It has been 10 years, and people have relocated to various places so maybe there is someone in Fourways who might know and tell us what they may have witnessed on that night. Besides that, news travels fast and we are just hopeful.”

She said since the post, she received a message from a gentleman who claimed to be employed at a forensic company, “We thought it was a scam but after thorough research into the company he works for, which turned out to be legit, but we are careful. Otherwise, there are not many replies of anything concrete at this stage.”

She said still struggles to come to terms with their loss, “It happened a long time ago, but every family wants justice served especially if a loved one was murdered. So, we want to see the case being taken on by a police station that would investigate it properly.”

Lorraine was described as someone who loved going to church and always looked out for the needy.

“She was loved by many people in her community which is why we suspect that the perpetrator might have been high on drugs because there was actually no reason for her to be killed. My grandmother worked in an orphanage home and loved God. She prayed for her us every day.”

Jessica pleads with anyone who might have information about the night that her grandmother was killed which was on January 26, 2013 -to call Colonel Kriel on 0824421303.

Related article:

The Barking Murders: A new perspective that will captivate you

21-year-old Kya Sands Informal Settlement murder accused’s case remanded