Detectives investigating the “brutal murder” of an 83-year-old grandfather who was stabbed to death while walking his two dogs have traced one of three potential witnesses seen in the area
Peter Wrighton, from The Moor, Banham, Norfolk, was repeatedly stabbed in the neck and head. His body was found in woodland near the village of East Harling on Saturday morning.
There have been no arrests and no weapon has been found.
Detective Superintendent Andy Smith, who is overseeing the investigation, had appealed for three potential witnesses who were seen near Harling Woods around the time of Mr Wrighton’s death to get in touch.
He said one of the three men, who was seen changing into a T-shirt in The Street, had been identified and would be spoken to by officers.
Detectives want to trace two more potential witnesses, who are both men.
The first potential witness is white with a tanned complexion, aged 25 to 30, 5ft 9in to 5ft 11in tall, with an athletic build, short, dark wavy hair and dark eyes.
He wore a grey or blue t-shirt, grey floppy gym-style shorts above the knee and heavy duty flip-flops. He was seen within the boundary of the woodland site police are searching.
The second man is described as white, aged 30 to 50, of medium build, who wore dark-coloured clothing and was seen walking without a dog in the northern area of the heath.
Detectives have released CCTV footage of the last known sighting of retired BT engineer Mr Wrighton, in Kenninghall Post Office between 10.08am and 10.12am on Saturday.
He then drove his red Skoda Fabia car around 4.5 miles to The Street, close to the woodland where he walked his dogs Dylan and Gemma.
His body was found by a member of the public at 10.46am.
DS Smith said more than 220 people had been in touch to date, and officers will be “exploring all avenues”.
"In particular we want to be called by or about two different men who were seen in different areas close to the murder scene,” he said. "We know there will be other key witnesses, for instance the man who was changing his top in previous appeals has been identified and will be spoken to in due course.”
He said officers also wanted to hear from delivery drivers who may have been in the area and to obtain dash-cam footage.
Search teams have utilised metal detectors and dogs. More than 100 officers and staff are working on the inquiry.
Chief Superintendent Mike Fawcett said: "I can assure local residents that our presence will remain in the area for the foreseeable future and I hope this provides local communities with confidence that we are here to support and protect them.”
An inquest into Mr Wrighton’s death has been opened and adjourned, and the medical cause of death was recorded as “incised wounds to the neck”.