Family of murdered great-grandmother shattered by new hurdle

New forensic technology appears to have identified fresh evidence in the shocking 1994 slaying of the defenceless 84-year-old, with the Northern Region Unsolved Homicide Team about to take up the investigative slack into the Howlett case.

But news that the cold case squad is now without a single investigator has gutted Mrs Howlett's family at a time when they thought the case was about to enter a crucial stage.

Daughter-in-law Alison Howlett, a Singleton councillor, described as "inconceivable" that senior police had allowed the four-member investigation team to be decimated.

"She was tortured, she was violated and they tried to burn her alive," Alison Howlett said.

"This bastard. We can never stop until we identify him.

"She was my children's grandmother, my husband's mother, and Peg deserves justice so she can finally rest in some sort of peace."

The Newcastle Herald revealed yesterday that more than a dozen cold cases which had been identified as solvable had been shelved because there was no one left in the team to to investigate them.

Team leader Senior Sergeant George Radmore finished last Friday to take up a promotion in Sydney and three other investigators have been off work on long-term sick leave.

Peggy Howlett was attacked in her own home in 1994 before being sexually assaulted and bashed.

There was an attempt to burn her house down before fire crews discovered her body on the bedroom floor.

Alison Howlett said her relatives had never been able to get over the violent loss of the family matriarch.

"It is a terrible place to be," Alison Howlett said.

"Our family has suffered a lot of medical problems, stress-related illnesses.

"We need to know who the person is - we don't know if they are still living in our community and you fear that they are going to do it again."