Grandmother Found Dead with Brutal Injuries in Bloodied Bedroom

A 56-year-old grandmother, Mumtaz Member, was discovered dead with severe head injuries in her Leicester home, an inquest at Leicester Coroner’s Court has heard. The shocking scene unfolded on December 12, 2015, when a paramedic arrived at the blood-splattered bedroom and found her lifeless body beneath a duvet.

Ms Member had suffered multiple blunt force injuries, primarily to her face, head, and neck. A pathologist confirmed she died from a traumatic brain injury. Her husband, Ibrahim, was the first to find her and alerted family members. Emergency care assistant James Carne, who responded to the call, recalled chaos upon arrival: “It wasn’t calm. People were upset, shouting, ‘Help her, help her.’ A man was hitting himself in the face in distress.”

Carne initially could not see Ms Member due to people crowding the room. He described the bed as “rumpled” and her face as appearing abnormal, inconsistent with a typical cardiac arrest, which was what the emergency call had reported.

Police had initially arrested and charged Ms Member’s sons, Mohammed and Shafiq, along with Shafiq’s girlfriend, Fatima Patel, but all charges were dropped in 2016. The trio remained part of the family, with no evidence proving their involvement.

Yunus Member, the brother of Ms Member’s husband, told the inquest he called the ambulance after being told by a relative that something had happened. “I just wanted to help her,” he said, though he sensed she was already dead. He admitted not being able to process the sight of blood on the walls.

The inquest also heard a statement from the family’s gardener, believed by two witnesses to be linked to the death. Though his whereabouts are currently unknown, the gardener told police he had worked for the family for five years and spoke warmly of Mumtaz Member, saying she often offered him tea and meals.

Detectives had released CCTV footage a year after the murder showing four young men walking in the area, and a £10,000 reward was offered, though the case remains unsolved.