MURDERED pensioner Jenny Methven was hit over the head with a large, blunt instrument as she sat at her kitchen table, it has been revealed.

The 80-year-old, who suffered severe injuries to the back of her head, was still at the table when her body was discovered by her 57-year-old son David on Monday. Her head was wrapped in a bloodstained cloth.

Cash in the house was also found undisturbed when police arrived to investigate and Mrs Methven's dog was in a cage in the living room of her cottage in Forteviot, Perthshire.

A source said: "The lady was still sitting at the table when she was found. In fact, she had to be left there for many hours afterwards while scenes of crime officers worked around her.

"No trace of a weapon has been found yet, but the injuries – to the back of the head – appear to be consistent with a large blunt instrument of some sort."

Tayside Police said they were narrowing down the time frame of the crime after receiving new information on the pensioner's plans for that day. Mrs Methven was due to attend a medical appointment at the Bridge of Earn Medical Centre at 2.45pm.

Officers said she should have taken the local 2.35pm bus to get to her GP surgery, but they have now established she was not on the bus and did not attend the appointment.

They have also discovered a friend spoke to her at around 10.30am, but the local postman did not see the pensioner when he was on his round at 1.30pm, something he considered to be out of the ordinary.

Detective Chief Inspector Colin Gall, who is leading the investigation, said the time frame in which the crime could have been committed was reducing with every new piece of information.

Praising the public for their support, he said: "The witnesses we have spoken with to date have been able to provide us with valuable information. Equally, there has been an excellent response to our appeal for private CCTV, which is allowing us to progress the investigation.

"We have officers who are dedicated to recovering every scrap of relevant footage from the coverage we have been provided with. That said, we still want people to contact us if they have CCTV systems – whether at home, or at their business. Don't presume there will be nothing of interest on the film. Contact us, let us come to you and we can decide."

Officers have viewed some CCTV footage of the day and have released details of potential witnesses they want to trace.

They want to speak to passengers on the No 17 Stagecoach bus which was travelling between Dunning and Perth at 10.30am on Monday. The bus will have passed by Mrs Methven's cottage at Kildinny Farm.

A man was also seen walking a brown dog on the road out of the village around the same time and detectives are looking to speak to him.

Police also want to trace the owner of a yellow agricultural forklift truck which was travelling eastwards on the road from Forteviot to Forgandenny.

Mr Gall added: "These people are all potential witnesses, who were in the area at a significant time. They shouldn't just presume they have nothing of interest to tell us.

"I would ask them to let us decide whether what they saw is of value to our investigation. The slightest detail, no matter how insignificant could help us to establish the circumstances of Jenny's death."

Police added forensic work is continuing at the house she shared with her son and officers are still searching the surrounding area.