Gill Woolmer (right), widow of slain Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer, with sons Dale (left) and Russell.

Gill Woolmer, widow of Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer, said yesterday that she was trying to cope with the death of her husband and the subsequent announcement of the closing of a murder enquiry into his death by Jamaican police.

"I am coping with difficulty," Mrs. Woolmer told The Gleaner yesterday via telephone from her Cape Town, South Africa, home.

She, however, refused to be interviewed further saying, "I have already made a statement and there is nothing else to say."

In that statement, which was made shortly after Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas announced that the police had closed the murder investigation, Mrs. Woolmer said the closure was relief for the family.

"My sons and I are relieved to be officially informed that Bob died of natural causes, and that no foul play is suspected in his death," she said then. "We hope that this matter will now be closed and that our family will be left to grieve in peace."

The Scotland Yard expatriate Mark Shields, who is Jamaica's Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of crime, had journeyed to South Africa where Mr. Woolmer lived with Gill and one of their sons, Russell. Mr. Shields also visited England, where he met with Mr. Woolmer's other son, Dale, for talks on the investigation.

daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com