Detectives are investigating whether a pensioner’s fundraising for the homeless is connected to her brutal death.
Freda Walker, 86, was viciously attacked in the neat semi-detached house she shared with ex-miner husband Ken, 88.
Police launched a manhunt for their attackers as distraught friends described the pensioners as a “lovely couple”.
Ken, a former Labour councillor, remains gravely ill in hospital after being “left for dead”.
Detectives are probing if someone Freda befriended during her charity fundraising is responsible for the attack.
Paramedics went to the couple’s house in Langwith Junction, Derbyshire, on Saturday morning after a neighbour raised the alarm.
They found Freda dead and Ken critically ill. Police said the elderly pair had suffered “horrific” injuries.
Derbyshire Police have refused to say if the suspect forced entry into the house or whether a weapon was used.
They urged local residents to lock their doors and windows while detectives hunt for the attacker.
Assistant Chief Constable Dave Kirby said detectives are looking at several possible motives, including burglary.
“Freda and Kenneth were very well known in the area and there has been an outpouring of grief following Freda’s death,” he said.
“My thoughts are with her family and friends – and with the wider community who are understandably shocked by the news.
“Our thoughts are also with Kenneth at this time, who remains in a critical condition in hospital.
“A significant level of violence was used in this incident.
“While we cannot go into specifics of the offence at this time, this is not being investigated as a domestic incident.
“We haven't made any arrests. There are several lines of inquiry being followed.
“One of those is that this may have been a burglary but of course, we are keeping an open mind.”
He said detectives are “looking closely” at possible links between the incident and a similar raid in Trowell, Notts, earlier this month.
Ken is the ex-chairman of Bolster District Council and friends with the former Labour MP Dennis Skinner.
Freda was a keen fundraiser who was passionate about helping the homeless and those in need.
The devoted couple had been married for 64 years and had lived in the house since the 1960s.
A neighbour said: “Freda was the most generous person you could ever meet and had such a kind and warm spirit.
“The couple didn't have any children and I think helping others was her way of being a mother to those who were less fortunate.
“She worked with homeless charities and just wanted people to have a chance to make a life for themselves.
“The community is in real shock. It's so sad and an awful thing to happen to two pillars of their community.”
Ken is a governor at the local primary school and keen gardener who grew vegetables at a nearby allotment.
He was a mining safety inspector and a former director of Derbyshire Miners Investments.
The pensioner celebrated his 88th birthday on Thursday, two days before he and his wife were brutally attacked.
Steve Fritchley, leader of Bolsover District Council, described them as a “lovely couple”.
He said: “It really hits home when it happens on your doorstep and to someone you know. It’s very upsetting.
“Ken and Freda were in their own home, a place where everyone deserves to be and feel safe, only to be attacked and ultimately bringing Freda's life to a premature end.
“Just when they should both be enjoying their twilight years together, this terrible incident has happened.”
