Police find third body in Shropshire house

BRITAIN:  Friends and teachers of the teenage daughter of millionaire businessman Christopher Foster were fearing the worst …

BRITAIN: Friends and teachers of the teenage daughter of millionaire businessman Christopher Foster were fearing the worst last night after police found a third body in her burnt-out family mansion.

Detectives said further human remains were discovered in the main part of Osbaston House in Maesbrook, Shropshire, last night.

Officers had already found the bodies of Mr Foster's wife Jill and an as-yet unidentified man in the shell of the property.

If tests confirm the third corpse is 15-year-old Kirstie Foster, they will add weight to the theory her father killed her and his wife before committing suicide.

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Brendan Wignall, the schoolgirl's headmaster at independent Ellesmere College in north Shropshire, said everyone was "deeply concerned" by the latest development.

Kirstie's classmates left desperate internet messages praying the popular teenager would be found safe and well.

One friend, named Marlies, wrote on the social networking website Bebo: "Im thinking about you 24/7. I hope that the 3rd body they found isnt you. Ill allways be thinking about you and may Jill RIP."

The teenager has not been seen since she attended a family friend's barbecue with her parents on the evening of August 25th.

The Fosters returned home afterwards and Kirstie is thought to have stayed up chatting to friends online until about 1am the next day.

West Mercia police said the blaze at the mansion was started deliberately three hours later.

Investigators had to wait three days to get into Osbaston House due to the heat and danger of falling debris. After entering the property on Friday, search teams found the body of Mrs Foster (49), and the remains of a man suspected to be her husband.

Detectives launched a murder inquiry after tests showed the businessman's wife had been shot in the head.

A gun found near the two bodies was identified as a .22 rifle which was legitimately owned by Mr Foster.

Police are now trying to establish whether the weapon was used to kill Mrs Foster, three horses and four dogs found shot dead in the mansion's grounds.

Officers said it would take some time to remove the third body from the house, meaning a post-mortem examination.

Four burnt-out cars and a tractor are parked next to the charred stumps of outbuildings. - (PA)