Griff and Martha Thomas: Campaign to reopen 46 year old case
- Published
A vigil has been held for Griff and Martha Thomas
Campaigners want police to reopen an investigation into the suspicious deaths of a brother and sister nearly 46 years ago.
Griff and Martha Mary Thomas were found dead at their home in Ffynnon Samson, Pembrokeshire, in December 1976.
An inquest concluded their deaths were a murder-suicide, but community newspaper Clebran is campaigning for a new probe.
Dyfed-Powys Police is looking at the evidence it still has from the case.
An inquest found Griff Thomas murdered his sister, but some people in the town doubt the finding
At the time, officers treated the case as a double murder.
But an inquest in February 1977 found that Mr Thomas had murdered his sister in a brutal attack before setting fire to himself.
Manslaughter was recorded in the case of Ms Thomas, and an open verdict was recorded in the case of her brother.
Martha Mary Thomas, 70, lived in the same house as her brother all her life
Emyr Phillips, who knew the siblings, said their deaths had "shattered the peace of the area".
Many people in the town have maintained that the retired farmer, who had arthritis, could never have attacked the sister he had lived with for more than 70 years.
"That was an impossibility for Griff to do that because he was a very fine man, quietly spoken, I never saw him in any fury at all," he said.
"Being a murderer does not fit his character at all and I think that it is time that the police force checks what evidence they still have."
At the weekend, a vigil for the pair was held at Rhydwilym Chapel, Pembrokeshire.
Griff and Martha Mary Thomas were found dead in a remote farmhouse in Ffynnon Samson
The Rev Peter Thomas said their deaths had "created a mystery" and posed "questions that still haven't been answered".
He said he had "fond memories of their kindness and devotion and their simple way of life".
Paul Davies, Member of the Senedd for Preseli Pembrokeshire, said the deaths had left a "dark cloud" over the community and believed that the "case should be re-examined".
"The police should look at this because technology has moved forward," he said. "We now have DNA profiling for example, so that's why it's absolutely essential that police reconsider this case."
A spokesperson from Dyfed-Powys Police said: "We are continuing to identify and confirm what material has been retained.
"The family will be kept informed of any developments."