A man alleges that his elderly mother “died of fright” following claims that police neglected to investigate a burglary at her home.
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Elsie Price, a 93-year-old resident of Nottingham, England, had her bank card and personal documents stolen in June 2024. She passed away on July 7, 2024, per the Nottingham Post.
Price was recovering well from a hip fracture and was in otherwise good health. However, her son, Terence Price, 70, observed a rapid decline in her condition after the burglary, as she received no reassurance or support from the police.
“She deteriorated that quickly, she died,” her son told the Nottingham Post. “She was frightened to death, she died of fright. Every day she would say to me ‘have the police been back?’ I could see it was playing on her mind, it really upset her. But we never heard a word [about the investigation].
“She was a lot better than any 93-year-old you’ve ever known before all of this happened,” he added.
Nottinghamshire Police Apologizes in Wake of Elderly Woman’s Death Over Burglary Fears
Nottinghamshire Police admitted the family didn’t receive the service they deserved. They apologized and confirmed the officer on the case has received extra training to improve investigations and escalate cases faster in the future.
Terrance Price revealed that he was asked to investigate his mother’s bank account for any unauthorized withdrawals. Upon reviewing the account, he discovered dozens of transactions amounting to thousands of pounds.
He said he gave the bank statement to officers, who told him they would check CCTV footage from where the bank card was used and get back to him. However, this never happened. After Terrance filed a formal complaint, a case review found the police service was “poor and unacceptable.”
“I was at her bedside when she passed away,” Terrance told the outlet of his mother’s death. “[The police] never came back to her, they just left her. They had no intention of ever going back to her. I’m disgusted, I really am. I probably should have phoned the police, but you think they’re getting on with their inquiries.”
“I didn’t expect this to go down this quickly,” he added. “My mother was a lovely woman and was very much respected [in her neighborhood]. I feel so let down by the police. They have no notes of compassion or anything.”
Police Issue Statement Following Internal Review of Burgerly Investigation
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Police issued a statement following the passing of the elderly woman.
“First and foremost, we are sorry to hear of the death of Elsie Price,” the statement began. “An incident was reported to us in June 2024 and a crime was recorded.”
“Following an internal review, we found the level of service was not at the standard we would expect and have apologised to the family,” the statement continued. “The investigating officer has been given learning around ensuring that they manage their investigations in a timely fashion, and speak to their supervisor if assistance is needed, and that cases are progressed quickly.”
“We would like to apologise to the family and offer our sincere condolences,” the statement concluded.