arson firegeezer on 29 Aug 2008 08:37 am
Investigators Enter “Mystery Mansion” Today
POLICE INVESTIGATORS ARE FINALLY GAINING ACCESS to the remains of the English mansion that was set on fire Tuesday night in Shropshire.
Shropshire Star / Williams photo
The fire was ruled an arson early on and the Foster family members have not been seen since the Tuesday night blaze. For the early reports see Firegeezer stories HERE and HERE. The horse trailer that was used to block the entrance gate and hinder the fire engines has been taken away for forensic tests.
Some newspapers are reporting that the horses that were found dead in the stables had been shot. Also, the three family dogs that were not accounted for at first have been found dead. Several shell casings have been found in the courtyard of the house and the main doorway had been barricaded from the inside.
The police have searched through all the outbuildings, including the two that had burned down, and are just today able to get inside the shell of the 16th-century manor home.
It has been disclosed that Foster was nearly $4 million in debt and that one of his creditors had placed a lien on the home, which was filled with antiques and valuable paintings, to begin procedings to sell it to help retire the debt. Some of his former business associates say that he has some “secret” properties elsewhere in Europe that he could have fled to.
The Daily Mail has a recent report along with several pictures that were taken inside the mansion before the fire HERE.
The Press Association has this video of today’s police briefing:
