The married mother-of-two, from Weaverham Road in Sandiway, was battered to death with a blunt instrument as she walked her Labrador Rosie at nearby Kennel Woods on July 22.

Now police want to speak to an elderly man spotted crossing Chester Road and a bearded man driving a car along Kennel Lane on the same afternoon.

"We've had quite a good response from the public about the man seen crossing Chester Road," said DI Eddie Smith yesterday, Tuesday.

"But I'm quite satisfied that there's still some people who can assist us even further."

The man was seen crossing Chester Road at around 3.20pm on the day Julia Webb died.

He was heading towards Kennel Lane from the Weaverham Road area. He may also have been seen in the area at around 9am on the same day.

The man is in his late 50s or early 60s, straight-backed with white hair which is very thin on top and cut short at the back and sides.

He is around 5ft 8ins tall, slim and clean shaven.

He was wearing a thin cotton beige, three quarter length coat which may have had a drawstring pulled tight at the waist and beige corduroy trousers.

He was carrying a walking stick made of dark reddish shiny wood with a woven, interlocking cluster design handle.

Police believe the distinctive walking stick could provide their best hope of identifying the mystery suspect.

They want to hear from anyone who might know the man or from someone who might know of shops selling such sticks.

The second man police want to question was seen driving a silver Ford Orion along Kennel Lane, away from Chester Road at around 3.15pm.

He is white, in his mid 30s, around 5ft 6ins tall, stocky with short, black hair and a full, neatly-trimmed black beard and moustache.

He was wearing a beige sleeveless body warmer with two pockets at the front and blue jeans. Police are still trying to identify a third red-faced suspect seen running across Dalefords Lane at around 3.50pm on the same afternoon. They believe he may have had an injury to his a face and a rag wrapped round his hand.

"Certainly we haven't identified these people and there might be people out there who are relatives, friends or people who saw them," added DI Smith.

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