'I am convinced and the team is convinced the answer is in the Blacon area. All the lines of inquiry at the moment and all the information we are getting is focused on the Blacon and Chester area,' he said.
The incident is being treated as a possible murder because Mr Prudhoe's heart attack may have been brought on by terrifying circumstances.
Worryingly, a psychologist has concluded the culprit could strike again.
Yet DI Tasker reckons there are still people who had not come forward with relevant information about Mr Prudhoe's past or lifestyle which may shed light on who could have carried out such a terrible crime. Unusually, the criminal fraternity has not been able to provide any names of suspects.
DI Tasker is perplexed: 'The feedback we are getting from people in the Blacon area is that he was a very likeable character. Everyone is surprised.'
He said if and when lines of inquiry in Chester were exhausted then the team would consider making a broader appeal through Granada's Crime-file or even the BBC's Crime-watch.
DI Tasker's nightmare is that the mutilation was carried out by a stranger with no established links to the victim.
'The worst case scenario is that it's random. But most murders are committed by people who have known them or are known acquaintances,' he said.
The detective remains 'hopeful rather than confident' this most mysterious of crimes can be solved.
A 21-year-old male, arrested on suspicion of the murder of Mr Prudhoe was told he did not need to return to the police station at the end of last month but he has not been completely eliminated from the inquiry.
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