MYSTERY surrounds the death of an elderly widow who was found with head injuries outside her North Yorkshire home.

Police officers sealed off her house in Church Hill, Easingwold, at 9am yesterday, after the 82-year-old woman was found by a neighbour at the back of the property.

A spokesman said she appeared to have suffered head injuries, but detectives were today investigating whether they had resulted from a fall or from "something more sinister".

Scenes of crime officers carried out a detailed forensic search of the house.

Inspector Dave Sutcliffe, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "Police and forensic officers have been investigating this sudden and unexplained death." He said a post-mortem was due to be carried out today.

Shocked neighbours, who identified the dead woman as Mary Gill, said she was a pillar of the community who had lived in the street for more than 40 years.

Her next-door neighbour, Alan Ward, said Mrs Gill and her late husband had been like surrogate grandparents to his children.

"It's terribly sad and a real tragedy," he said.

"We suspect she fell over just outside her back door, but what happened to her we wouldn't know.

"She was a lovely, lovely person and very well-known in town."

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said they were keeping an open mind as to how she died.

He confirmed the pensioner had collapsed outside at the rear of her premises.

"We don't know how she died," the spokesman said. "She has got some head injuries so we want to ascertain whether this was caused when she collapsed or if it is something more sinister.

"Until the post mortem has been carried out we must look at it from all angles."

Several police officers stood guard at the house all day yesterday as neighbours stood around trying to come to terms with the shock death.

Another neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: "She was a lovely old lady.

"We were obviously very concerned when we saw all the police outside."

Updated: 10:36 Monday, November 08, 2004