11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
All we know about filmmaker who was fatally knifed at home 'for diamond Rolex'
Award winning film director Jennifer Abbott, 69, was stabbed to death and found gagged and wrapped in a blanket in her Camden home - here is everything we know about the case
A film director was found gagged and stabbed in her home "for her diamond encrusted Rolex watch," police believe.
Jennifer Abbott, 69, was discovered wrapped in a blanket on Friday at her home in Camden, London, three days after her neighbours last saw her. Police have launched a manhunt and a desperate appeal for information about the 69-year-old's tragic death and her missing luxury watch. Ms Abbott was found dead laying on her bed with tape covering her mouth, by a relative who broke in after the film director had not been heard from in days, according to a neighbour.
The filmmaker was last seen by locals on June 10 walking her Corgi, who survived after being locked in a toilet for 72 hours as Ms Abbott lay dead nearby, neighbours said. Here is everything we know about the filmmaker.
Who was Jennifer Abbott?
The 69-year-old previously worked in the film industry and directed several films. Ms Abbott won several awards for a 2010 documentary she directed called "War of the Gods". This film looked at the idea that religion had been manipulated as a tool for control and power during times of war.
She also owned a company called Atlantis Rising Production. Ms Abbott documented parts of her live and travel on a YouTube channel - including holidays in Hawaii and Barbados. Her Facebook page said she grew up in Wimbledon, south London before moving to Los Angeles where pictures show her with stars including Dan Ackroyd, Paris Hilton and Kate Hudson.
What films did she make?
The 69-year-old previously worked in the film industry and directed several films. Ms Abbott won an award for a 2010 documentary she directed called "War of the Gods". This film looked at the idea that religion had been manipulated as a tool for control and power during times of war.
Ms Abbott, known professionally as Sarah Steinberg, also directed a 2004 horror film called "Temple of Fear", which was about a woman who has a deadly premonition and attempts to stop it from happening. She also owned a company called Atlantis Rising Production.
What happened at her home?
Ms Abbott was found dead in her home on Mornington Place with tape covering her mouth and wrapped in a blanket by a relative who broke into her home after she was not heard from. A post-mortem examination was carried out on Sunday and gave the cause of death as sharp force trauma.
A neighbour, who did not want to be named, told the MailOnline: "My son broke the door down. We heard her niece shouting: 'Somebody help me, somebody help' and we went out and asked 'what's wrong?' She said: 'I haven't heard from my aunty in four days. Something's wrong - break the door down.'
"I was holding the door open downstairs and my son was upstairs and then I heard her niece screaming and saying: 'Oh my God, she's been murdered'. She had tape across her mouth. Her corgi was locked in the bathroom for three days. That poor dog, he couldn't even drink any water, it's amazing he was even still alive."
How much was her Diamond Rolex worth and was it the motive?
Detectives have not shared a possible motive behind the attack but fear she may have been killed for her diamond-encrusted Rolex, which is at the heart of the investigation into her brutal death. The luxury watch is believed to be missing from the director's home and police appealed to the public for any information people have about the gold and diamond watch.
The exact amount her Rolex was worth has not been shared but the luxury watches typically sell for thousands of pounds - with the diamond encrusted versions selling for higher rates.
Has anyone been arrested?
Police said no arrests have been made yet in the tragic case. Cops have appealed to the public to come forward if they have any information on the death or the missing Rolex.
Chief Superintendent Jason Stewart said: "We are working closely with our colleagues in the homicide team to establish exactly what happened and it's incredibly important that we hear from anyone who may have knowledge about how this awful death occurred. Were you out in Camden on Friday?
"Perhaps you had been coming home from work, or at an event nearby? Did you see or hear anything around Mornington Place that struck you as being unusual? Someone must have seen or heard something and no piece of information is too small. It could be the crucial clue that leads us to identify Jennifer's murderer.
"Extra patrols continue in the area while my officers remain at the crime scene. I would urge anyone who has any information, or who may be worried, to speak to them."
