Two weeks after Englishwoman Karen Cheatle was found dead in suspicious circumstances at her Mellieħa apartment, her brother still has no idea when the court will release her body so she can be given a proper burial in the UK.
“We have no idea when we can book anything for the funeral... It’s all lined up but we can’t do anything,” said her elder brother Martin Cheatle, adding that the family planned a memorial service in Malta followed by repatriation for burial in the UK.
Police are treating Ms Cheatle’s death as a murder investigation and are working on the theory that she was drowned by her Maltese partner, 52-year-old John Agius, who then hung himself.
Before her body is released by the courts, tests still have to be carried out to establish if she was drowned in salt or fresh water.
Leyton-born Ms Cheatle, 54, a mother of two and grandmother, moved to Malta in 2004 after obtaining a divorce from her second husband, Nick Caruana, who was Maltese.
For the past six months she had been dating Mr Agius, who was also separated.
Her brother, who also lives in Malta, said he had met Mr Agius. “He seemed to be a nice-enough fellow,” he said, noting he never imagined things would end this way.
Mr Cheatle confessed he was annoyed by the fact that his sister, the victim, had not been released for burial while her alleged killer had been given a proper burial last week.
He added that he was being updated about the investigations through the British High Commission but not much had changed during the past two weeks.
Investigators believe Mr Agius drowned Ms Cheatle and then committed suicide by hanging himself on July 10, close to his matrimonial residence in Mġarr.
His body was discovered by a passer-by at about 6 a.m. the following day. Later that morning police officers went to Ms Cheatle’s apartment in Sagħtar Street to inform her that her partner was dead.
They found her door unlocked and then stumbled on the second dead body. It was slightly damp and there were traces of sand on it, sources said. Traces of froth were found around her mouth but there was no sign of violence in the apartment. The autopsy established she died by drowning. However, further tests are required to establish whether she was drowned at sea or in a bath.
Mr Agius wrote two suicide letters before taking his own life – one addressed to his estranged wife and children, while the second document was an open letter, sources said.
Ms Cheatle was an avid belly dancer and she had just turned 54 on July 1. Speaking to The Daily Mail, her brother said: “Karen came to Malta on holiday and loved it, so she decided to move here to start a new life away from the UK. She was happy here and was having the time of her life.”
Meanwhile, Ms Cheatle’s neighbours in Mellieħa described her as a very reserved and soft-spoken woman who carried her small dog around with her.
Ronald Abela, who lives in the neighbouring apartment block, said he last saw her on July 10 at about 6 p.m. when she was crossing the road to get into her car – a red Suzuki jeep.