A police officer has told of the moment he found a human head with ‘blond hair’ inside a bag for life that had been stuffed under a kitchen sink.
Police search teams made the gruesome discovery at a house in the village of Guide Post, Northumberland, after the decapitated corpse of Odessa Carey Snr, 73, was found at her home nearby.
Her 36-year-old daughter, also called Odessa Carey, is alleged to have beaten her 73-year-old mother to death in North Seaton, near Ashington, Northumberland, before using a knife and scissors to cut off her head.
Carey is not fit to plead or stand trial, but what is known as a trial of the facts is taking place at Newcastle Crown Court.
Jurors were told how detectives launched a search of the house in the village of Guide Post after discovering the body of the 73-year-old on April 8 last year, because it was where Ms Carey had been known to stay.
Odessa Tammy Carey (pictured). Carey is not fit to plead or stand trial, but what is known as a trial of the facts is taking place at Newcastle Crown Court
Helmet camera footage from an armed officer showed Carey sitting in the loft when police turned up to arrest her.
PC John Ivers, who attended the house in Guide Post, and was part of the team who searched the address told Newcastle Crown Court: ‘I opened a cupboard door under the sink and within the void I found a bag for life which I removed and placed on the kitchen floor.
‘In doing so I could see a dark red coloured fabric appeared to be wrapped around a curved object.
‘I noticed the size and weight were consistent to that of a human head.
Police search teams made the gruesome discovery at a house in the village of Guide Post, Northumberland, after the decapitated corpse of Odessa Carey Snr (pictured) 73, was found at her home nearby
‘Shortly after I began to unwrap the material I found a blue patterned pillow in which there were signs of blood staining.
‘I carefully open the pillow case until I saw what appeared to be the top of a human head with blond coloured hair.’
Forensic scientist John Newell attended the house in North Seaton, near Ashington, after Mrs Carey’s body was found.
He told Newcastle Crown Court the body was lying on its back and a pyjama top had been pulled up and the abdomen had been cut open.
Mr Newell said the evidence was in keeping with Mrs Carey having been struck multiple times while lying on her front.
Police at the home of Odessa Carey, 73, where her headless body was found in North Seaton, Ashington, Northumberland, in April last year
He added that the absence of ‘arterial bleeding’ suggests Mrs Carey ‘is likely to have been dead when the process of removing her head commenced.’ and that she was then probably rolled over before the abdominal injuries were inflicted.
Mr Newell said there were ‘hair swipes’ in blood in the bath, adding: ‘In my opinion it would suggest Odessa Carey’s head had been placed in the bath at some time.’
Summarising his conclusions, he said: ‘The findings could be explained if Odessa Carey had been struck to the head multiples times while lying on her front on the bed.
‘Her head had been removed then she had been rolled on to her back.
‘The bedding had been moved then injuries were inflicted on her abdomen. ‘The head was taken into the bathroom, potentially in the red basin, and brain tissue was removed from the head.’
Mr Newell said two knives, a pair of scissors and a mallet were found in the bath and had blood, skin, fatty tissue and hair on them.
He said that could be explained by the mallet being used to strike Mrs Carey and the knives and scissors being used to cut off her head.
Trainers, jogging bottoms and a hoodie belonging to Carey were found to have her mum’s blood on them.
The trial of the facts is being held to find whether Carey committed the acts.
The trial continues.