Son charged after elderly woman’s body found in Blackburn

A man has been charged with murdering his mother inside their Blackburn home after an alleged “dispute”.

The Whitehorse Rd home in Blackburn where Ms Miller was found dead. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Andrew Henshaw

A man is accused of murdering his mum in the Melbourne east home they shared for a decade.

Allan Miller, 49, was charged by homicide squad detectives after the body of 77-year-old Maureen Miller was discovered in their Blackburn home Monday evening.

A summary states the mother and son had been living at the Whitehorse Rd address since 2011 and the pair had “engaged in a dispute” between June 24 to July 5.

Ms Miller was found dead by police, who were conducting a welfare check at the home on July 5.

Police allege Mr Miller murdered his mother some time in the 10 day period.

Mr Miller did not appear in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for a brief hearing on Wednesday with his lawyer stating he was in the Royal Melbourne Hospital with an infection to his lower left leg.

“He requires a nurse to see him as soon as possible,” Kyle McLaughlin told the court, adding Mr Miller suffered from a type of inflammatory arthritis and required ongoing treatment while in custody.

The court heard prosecutors required extra time to gather their evidence, which includes CCTV footage, fingerprint and DNA analysis.

Family members from interstate will also be tracked down to provide statements to police, the court heard.

Martine Oglethorpe, a neighbour, teared up when she told the Herald Sun Ms Miller was a “kind” lady who took care of her son.

“She was just a kind woman doing the best that she could,” Ms Oglethorpe said.

“She just tried to help him by keeping him at home and looking after him.

“He wasn’t well. It’s just a sad situation.”

Ms Oglethorpe said the friendly woman had lived at her Whitehorse Rd home for more than 20 years and lived on her own.

“She was a kind neighbour and was happy to have a chat,” she said.

“Whenever I would apologise for the noise my kids were making, she would tell me never to apologise and that she loved hearing them having fun and playing in the back yard.

“She said it reminded her of when her children were little”.

Surrounding residents said they could see police lights flashing on Monday night, but did not realise the commotion was related to the death of their elderly neighbour.

Mr Miller will return to court on October 13 for a committal mention.