Man arrested after ‘good Samaritan’ pensioner found dead in her home

Ellen Manning
Esther Brown was found dead in her Glashow flat (SWNS/ Police Scotland)
Esther Brown was found dead in her Glashow flat (SWNS/ Police Scotland)

Tributes have paid to a "genuine good Samaritan" found dead in her home in Glasgow.

A 30-year-old man has been arrested in connection with her death, Police Scotland said.

Charity worker Esther Brown was described by the reverend of her church as "full of life" with a "lot of drive".

The 67-year-old was found dead in her flat in Woodlands in Glasgow's West End on Tuesday, 1 June after last being seen alive the Friday before.

Police activity in West Princes Street in the Woodlands area of Glasgow following the death of pensioner Esther Brown whose body was found in her flat in suspicious circumstances. Picture date: Thursday June 3, 2021.
Police enter a flat in the Woodlands area of Glasgow following the death of pensioner Esther Brown whose body was found in her flat in "suspicious circumstances". (PA Images) (PA)
Police activity in West Princes Street in the Woodlands area of Glasgow following the death of pensioner Esther Brown whose body was found in her flat in suspicious circumstances. Picture date: Thursday June 3, 2021.
An officer stands outside the flat of Esther Brown. A man has been arrested in connection with her death. (PA Images) (PA)

Flowers have been left at the gate of a park across the road from where Brown was found, with a card reading “Esther – loved and cherished by us and by Jesus xxx”.

Superintendent Ross Allan said: “Esther was a much loved and active member of the community here in the Woodlands area of Glasgow through her charity work and her willingness and commitment towards helping others.”

Brown, who never married or had children, was a committed member of St Silas Church and involved in food banks and community projects.

Reverend Martin Ayers said: "She had a lot of drive and she was confident. She was always about helping people practically - a genuine good Samaritan."

Brown was an active member of Woodlands Community Garden, which distributes fruit and vegetables, as well as running a toddlers’ group at the church, he said.

She was also committed to working to reduce people's carbon footprint and wanted the church to become more involved in humanitarian issues.

Floral tributes in West Princes Street in the Woodlands area of Glasgow following the death of pensioner Esther Brown whose body was found in her flat in suspicious circumstances. Picture date: Thursday June 3, 2021.
Flowers were left outside the flat of Esther Brown in Glasgow. (PA Images) (PA)
Floral tributes in West Princes Street in the Woodlands area of Glasgow following the death of pensioner Esther Brown whose body was found in her flat in suspicious circumstances. Picture date: Thursday June 3, 2021.
Tributes have been paid to Esther Brown by members of her church. (PA Images) (PA)

He said: "Even in lockdown, we were ringing around people who lived alone and Esther would always say ‘I’m having a great time’.

"Because she was involved in the community garden, she could keep a hand in and would see people while she was out and about exercising.

"She would say, ‘Don’t worry about me, I’m having a great lockdown, you should worry about other people’."

He said despite being single, Brown had wider family and was "full of life, so energetic and content with her life".

"She was always working out how she could help and badgering me for the church to do more for asylum seekers and local schools and then suddenly she’s found dead and everyone is stunned," he added.

"What I know Esther always longed for people to know was that her joy and her energy came from what she believed about Jesus.

"In church life we sometimes talk about wanting to be ‘ambassadors for Jesus Christ’, representing him well by our words and our actions. Esther embodied that brilliantly."

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