British grandmother stabbed to death in her Italian dream home ‘was found in her underwear beside bed and may have been killed in her sleep’: Cops hunt partner, 74, but say ‘there is no smoking gun’

The British grandmother who was stabbed to death in her Italian dream home was found in her underwear on the floor next to her bed and may have been murdered in her sleep, it has been claimed.

Michele Faiers, 66, was found by her friend on Wednesday morning in a pool of blood in her first-floor bedroom in her rural home in the village of Verratti near Casoli, a town in eastern Italy.

The mother-of-two was found on the floor next to her bed, dressed in underwear and covered with a white sheet, an investigative source told The Times.

There were no signs of a struggle and police are now investigating whether Michele was killed in her sleep, the source said.

Police are now hunting Michele’s partner Michael Whitbread, 74, a retired management consultant originally from Torquay, after he allegedly left the scene in the couple’s white Jeep Compass before police could question him.

But investigators said that while Whitbread is the prime suspect in Michele’s murder, “there is no smoking gun involved here.”

The couple have lived for the past four years in the house in the countryside near the community of Palombara, home to 100 British expats, and was described by local residents as ‘very private’.

“They had few friends in the village, probably due to the fact that they spoke little English,” the investigating source said.

Michele, mother of two daughters, was found by a concerned friend who had traveled from the nearby town of Palombaro, home to 100 British expats, after they called her yesterday morning but received no answer.

Her friend had not heard from her in three days and had become increasingly concerned, so she decided to check on her, police said.

Neighbors said they heard her scream in horror when they found the 66-year-old in a pool of blood on the floor next to her bed and called police who arrived at the rural home.

Michele was stabbed in the abdomen, although conflicting reports gave differing accounts of how many times she was stabbed and exactly where.

“She was found on the floor in her bedroom next to the bed, dressed in underwear and covered with a white sheet,” an investigative source said.

‘There was no sign of a struggle and she may have been stabbed in her sleep, but we are waiting for the forensics to find out more.’

Michele was found by police in her first-floor bedroom and the keys to the house were reportedly still in the front door.

Police are now searching for Mr Whitbread, who police fear has already fled the country, said Colonel Alceo Greco of Italy’s Carabinieri police.

Medical examiners are also conducting forensic tests to determine how long Michele had been dead before she was discovered by her heartbroken friend. It is believed she died on Saturday or Sunday.

Michele posted her last post to her Instagram page on October 25, when three photos of a spectacular sunset taken from the terrace of her home were uploaded.

She called it ‘another beautiful sunset’ and among those who liked it was her partner, Mr Whitbread.

Other photos show the couple enjoying a winter break, skiing in the nearby mountains and in the snap she is seen with her daughter Harriet.

The couple also enjoyed several diving holidays together and Mr Whitbread is believed to be an experienced diver.

A local plumber who employed the couple confirmed the Facebook identity to MailOnline, saying: ‘I just can’t believe it. They seemed like such a perfect couple. We kept in touch and texted each other every now and then.

‘I live about 25 miles away and I heard the news from my friend who lives across the street from Michele and Michael. She was found stabbed and he is now missing. I am shocked.

‘The area is full of British people and I have a lot of British customers. They employ me to help install boilers and water pipes on their properties.

‘I last saw Michele and Michael a year ago when I came to check the boiler. They had bought a number of abandoned buildings for their home and were going to renovate them. I just can’t believe it.’

Local prosecutor Mirvana Di Serio was at the scene yesterday and the house, which is on a remote rural road, was sealed off while police carried out a forensic investigation.

A source told MailOnline: ‘The alarm was raised after a friend tried to call her this morning and got no answer, so she went to her house.

‘When she got there, she found the woman dead with a stab wound to the stomach. Her screams alerted other neighbors and the police were called.

‘They mainly kept to themselves, but you would occasionally see them walking their three dogs.

The nearby community of Palombaro is home to a hundred British expats who have moved to the area to buy and renovate abandoned farmhouses.

The wider Abruzzo region is popular with middle-class Britons who have moved there for the cheap cost of living or who have holiday homes there.

MailOnline has contacted the British Foreign Office for comment.