Pair in custody in Adelaide murder case

A 19-year-old woman and her 21-year-old friend will face court again in November after being remanded in custody over the murder of 81-year-old Adelaide man Robert Whitwell, the younger woman's grandfather.

Brittney Jade Dwyer, the victim's granddaughter, and Bernadette Burns appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday charged with the murder of Mr Whitwell at his Adelaide home last month.

Dwyer was dressed in a black and white Los Angeles T-shirt and Burns in a baseball-style shirt for the brief appearance which followed their extradition from Brisbane on Monday.

They made no application for bail, with Chief Magistrate Mary-Louise Hribal remanding them in custody to appear again on November 8.

Prosecutor Amy Fisher successfully applied for a suppression order on the images of the two women, arguing publication would hinder ongoing police investigations.

Mr Whitwell's body was found inside his unlocked Craigmore home, in Adelaide's north, on August 8 after neighbours spotted an uncollected newspaper on his driveway.

Police initially believed he had died of natural causes but their suspicions were aroused when several "unusual" aspects of the case could not be explained.

Detectives said they had to rely on forensic experts and crime scene pathologists to piece together what occurred inside the home.

"At this time police are not able to elaborate further on the cause of death, or what factors in the case were initially considered unexplained," Detective Inspector Greg Hutchins said.

"These factors are central to the ongoing investigation."

Neighbours described Mr Whitwell as a kind gentleman who went each day to visit his wife in a nearby nursing home.

Insp Hutchins said the man's relatives were informed of the arrests on Monday night.

"They are obviously devastated by this development," he said.