Man held after woman, 52, found dead in village home

A village was in shock yesterday after a woman was found dead in her home and another man was badly injured.

Police spent the day searching drains near a cottage in the Dumfriesshire village of Carruthers-town where the body of Beverley Bliss, 52, was found on Friday.

Beverley, who was involved in the village arts scene, is believed to have once worked at a nearby hotel.

A man is in custody in connection with her death and the alleged attempted murder of a 47-year-old man on the same day.

The village, with a population of just 200 people, was initially sealed off as the police investigation got underway.

Tributes were paid to Beverley on social media, with one friend posting: “Bev had such a beautiful heart and her laugh and smile would light up a room. Such a talented lady, too.”

Police were initially alerted after a delivery driver found a man unconscious on the A75 Gretna to Stranraer road on Friday morning.

A second man was then found near the house where the woman was discovered dead soon after. Chief Inspector Steven Stiff said: “Although our investigations are continuing over the weekend we can confirm we are not looking for anybody else.

“The 35-year-old man in custody was one of those involved in the incident and those people were known to each other.”

The community has been left stunned. Pensioner John Morgan said: “It’s really terrible for this to happen for it’s such a nice wee village. People just can’t let one another live together in peace.”

Another woman said: “Everyone’s talking about it and phoning round to see everyone is alright. Although police say they are not looking for anyone else, it’s been such a shock, especially for some of the elderly who live here.”