A 92-year-old man killed in his Witney home was stabbed in the neck, police have revealed.

Scene of crime officers outside the home of Edwin Hiles

Edwin Hiles, of Lancut Road, was discovered on the floor of his living room by a neighbour at 6.30pm on Thursday.

Mr Hiles, who had lived in Witney for more than 30 years, was well known on the town's Windrush Valley estate.

He regularly attended the estate's tenants' and residents' association meetings and lent money to people in financial difficulty.

The precise time of his death has not been established, but police said the last reported sighting of Mr Hiles was at Witney post office at 2.45pm on Tuesday. Det Supt Mark Warwick, who is leading the murder investigation, said: "It is vital that anybody who saw Mr Hiles after this time gets in touch with us immediately so that we can narrow down the time frame for his death as much as possible.

"Mr Hiles was a distinctive figure. He was very well known in the Witney area.

"He was always impeccably dressed in a trilby hat, shirt and tie, and a long coat. On Tuesday, he may also have been wearing a scarf around his neck.

"We want to hear from anyone who can shed any light on where Mr Hiles went after leaving the post office, whom he visited and what he did, as a matter of urgency."

He said detectives were keeping an open mind about possible motives for the killing. "At the moment, it is too early in the investigation to speculate about why Mr Hiles was killed," he said.

"His age and occupation could have made him a target for robbery, but we are keeping all our options open."

Police are trying to ascertain whether any cash or property was stolen from his home. The murder weapon has not be recovered.

Mr Hiles's death has saddened neighbours.

Brenda Churchill, chairman of the tenants' and residents' association, said: "This is not what you expect to happen on an estate like this and we just hope the police catch whoever is responsible.

"It was well known he was a local money lender, someone who used to help people out.

"He was the one they went to when they had problems.

"I remember at one of our association meetings that he told people he would loan money to people who really needed it."

A team of 15 detectives is investigating the case from an incident room at Cowley police station in Oxford.

Call them on 01865 335252 with any information.