Helen Bailey murder: Family of cesspit killer Ian Stewart's wife Diane back probe into her death
The family of the late wife of the man who murdered children's author Helen Bailey have welcomed police plans to re-examine her death.
Diane Stewart's sudden death in 2010 will be probed after Ian Stewart was jailed for 34 years for smothering his fiancee Ms Bailey and hiding her body in a cesspit at their home.
The nature of the crime and his plot to evade detection, which saw him branded a "wicked" predator and a "real danger to women", have raised fears he may have killed before.
Mrs Stewart was found dead in the garden of the family home and her body was later cremated.
An inquest concluded she died of natural causes from a "sudden unexpected death in epilepsy".
Her family's statement offered their support for the re-examination of her death, thanked the police for their ongoing support and offered sympathy to Ms Bailey's family.
Mrs Stewart had two sons, Jamie and Oliver, with Stewart.
Jamie, 24, did not meet his father's gaze as he was led from the dock following the guilty verdicts on Wednesday.
"We understand a significant investigation has been carried out since Helen went missing," the sons said in a short statement.
"Understandably this is an extremely difficult time for us and we have no further comment to make other than for the media to respect our privacy."
The two boys had lived with Stewart and Ms Bailey, who authored the successful Electra Brown children's series, at her Hertfordshire home.
Widower Stewart scoped out Ms Bailey, a widow, through a bereavement blog she ran.
He contacted her through a Facebook group a year after Mrs Stewart's death.
Detective Chief Inspector Jerome Kent confirmed the probe into Mrs Stewart's death was not a murder investigation but a "re-examination of a sudden, unexpected death".