A forensic review into the deaths of Martha and Griff Thomas, who were found dead at their farmhouse in Llangolman, Pembrokeshire, in 1976, will end almost four years after it began without producing any new conclusions. The deaths originally prompted a double murder investigation, and family member Huw Gibby, 79, said he was left "shell-shocked" that the review had not found new answers, describing crime scene photos as a "blood bath".
Dyfed-Powys Police said a "significant amount of complex work" had been undertaken and that "the family has been updated on the limitations faced in reviewing an incident that took place 50 years ago".
On a chilly Saturday morning in December 1976, postman Nigel Rossiter pulled up outside the isolated Ffynon Samson farmhouse in west Wales. It was his first week in the job and he spotted a couple of letters still lying on the floor of the porch, where he had delivered to them days before.
Smelling burning inside, he raised the alarm. This led to the discovery of two bodies – Griff, 73, who was badly burnt, and Martha, 70, who had severe injuries.
Police were called and found Martha - known as Patti - lay slumped on a magazine rack in the corner of the living room, with severe head injuries. Chairs had been knocked over and an overturned television lay at her feet. It was still switched on, with the sound of static filling the room.
What did the original investigation conclude?
An inquest in 1977 found Martha was unlawfully killed, and an open verdict was returned in the case of Griff. After initially treating their deaths as a double murder, the man leading the investigation decided in January 1977 that Griff had "probably" killed his sister - possibly by hitting her over the head with a kitchen chair before starting a fire in which he laid down and died.
Family members and people who knew the elderly chapel-going siblings have never accepted that explanation and believe they were both murdered.
Gibby, who now lives in Bristol, said he had been left "disappointed" by the outcome four years after Operation Hallam was launched in October 2022.
"We've been a little bit sort of shell-shocked," he said.
"After nearly a four-year wait for information, basically what they're saying is because all the artefacts, fingerprints and DNA are 50 years old it's degraded to such an extent that they can't really draw much conclusion from it."
He said the family "passionately" believed there was a miscarriage of justice and want "our side of the story to be heard". If the original verdict is upheld, they will consider taking their case to the Attorney General and HM Coroner.
"We just cannot believe after all this time, this is all that they can come up with," he said.
How did the original police search unfold?
In December 1976, Dyfed-Powys Police launched the double murder investigation and set up an incident room in the heart of the village. The case was led by a celebrated detective who had solved the Cannock Chase murders in Staffordshire - one of the biggest manhunts in British criminal history - Det Ch Supt Pat Molloy.
More than 1,200 people were spoken to, with police officers knocking on doors over a five-mile (8km) radius. Over the coming weeks, 572 men provided alibis to police that ruled them out of the investigation, but no leads emerged.
By late January 1977, the detective concluded that Griff had "probably" killed his sister.
Gibby believes Martha was murdered by a third party who she let into the farmhouse.
"He could not pick up a wooden chair and break his sister's skull by hitting her over the head."
Gibby described the police conclusion as "unbelievable", saying Griff was "very frail" and had a curvature of the spine, which affected his hand and made it "almost claw-like".
Gibby said the family had taken the case to two separate experts, who argued a murder theory must be a "believable story".
"And what they all said was, frankly, this story is just too unbelievable."
Why does the family believe a third party was involved?
Gibby believes Martha was murdered by a third party who she would have already known and who was also aware they kept cash in the house. He said there "were two cups of tea" in the house that had hardly been drunk, giving the impression "that she'd invited somebody in".
He said he believed Martha was home alone while Griff was out at a local shop, but was killed when he came home and "confronted this third party" who had "possibly or had already forced Patti to disclose where the money was and already killed her".
A spokesperson for DPP said:
"We can confirm that a significant amount of complex work has been undertaken as part of the forensic review process, and the family of Griff and Martha Thomas have been updated of the progress made so far."
"Following the retrieval of all available material, we have been able to carry out three phases of work: Fingerprint enhancement and analysis, DNA enquiries, and consideration of the blood grouping work carried out by the original investigation team," they added.
"The family has been updated on the findings from these enquiries, and the limitations faced in reviewing an incident that took place 50 years ago."
"We are now at a stage where communication has begun with HM Coroner to keep them informed of the latest position, and to seek advice and guidance on how we proceed."
Key Facts
- Martha and Griff Thomas were found dead at Ffynon Samson farmhouse in Llangolman, Pembrokeshire, in December 1976.
- A forensic review launched in October 2022 ended almost four years later without new conclusions.
- An inquest in 1977 found Martha was unlawfully killed, while Griff’s death was returned as an open verdict.
- Police spoke to more than 1,200 people and ruled out 572 men with alibis during the original investigation.
- Dyfed-Powys Police said the family had been updated on the limitations of reviewing a 50-year-old case.
