Craigmore woman, 62, charged with murder of Brenda and Lynton Anderson
A family relative of elderly couple Brenda and Lynton Anderson – who died from drug overdoses – has been charged with two counts of murder.
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A 62-year-old Craigmore woman has been arrested and charged with murder over the alleged drug toxicity murders of Brenda and Lynton Anderson.
It will be alleged both died from drug overdoses after being deliberately administered medication.
Late on Tuesday, an SA Police spokeswoman confirmed the arrested woman had been charged with two counts of murder
She was refused police bail and will appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
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The woman arrested is a family member of Mr and Mrs Anderson, who were both 94 when they died a year apart in 2022 and 2023.
Anyone with information relating to this investigation is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers.
Police launched an appeal for public information last Thursday, saying Brenda Anderson was being treated for medical issues at Noarlunga Hospital in 2022, before was transferred to Flinders Medical Centre on March 12 when her condition deteriorated. She died on March 15.
Her husband, Lynton Anderson, was found by a carer to be unconscious at his home address at Hackham on April 30, 2023. He was taken by SA Ambulance to the Flinders Medical Centre and died the following day.
Police say toxicology results for both Mr and Mrs Anderson have led them to believe they were both murdered by the same person.
The results revealed prescription medication that had “no reason to be in their system”.
Police are appealing to anyone that may have had contact with the couple and may have knowledge of their deaths and the circumstances that led to them – in particular, anyone that may have knowledge of prescribed or non-prescribed medications each were using or had spoken about.
Detectives said there was no concerns over the level of care from either hospital.
A death notice for Mr Anderson in The Advertiser said he was a father or father-in-law of eight children, a grandfather of seven and great-grandpa of nine.
Detective Inspector Mark McEachern said police believed Brenda was murdered by a person in a close enough relationship with her to have been visiting her in hospital.
Police believe that whatever led to Brenda’s death occurred while she was in hospital.
“Mrs Anderson’s hospital death was identified during the coronial investigation process after toxicology results gave significant rise for concern,” Det Insp McEachern said.
“When an innocent explanation for toxicology abnormalities was eliminated, the possibility that Mrs Anderson’s death was a deliberate act by another party became the primary subject of the investigation.”
Originally published as Craigmore woman, 62, charged with murder of Brenda and Lynton Anderson
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