Woman charged with murder after body found buried in back garden
A 48-year-old woman has been accused of murder in Northamptonshire, police said on Sunday.
Fiona Beal was formally charged shortly after midnight, following the discovery of what is thought to be a missing man’s body buried in a back garden in Northampton.
Officers had initially been called to the address in Moore Street, Kingsley, on Wednesday, to search the entire property.
The investigation began after the arrest of Beal at a hotel in Cumbria early on Wednesday morning.
By Saturday afternoon, forensic officers, specialist search teams, and a cadaver dog had discovered a body at the Northampton property.
The remains are expected be taken to Leicester where they will be forensically examined by a Home Office pathologist.
Northamptonshire Police said dozens of officers and specialist staff had been involved in the operation.
Detective Chief Inspector Adam Pendlebury, from East Midlands Special Operations Unit’s major crime team, said: ‘Regrettably, I can confirm that a body has been found in the rear garden of the address.
‘We believe it to be that of a missing 42-year-old male, but formal identification has yet to take place.
‘Police officers have been conducting house-to-house inquiries in the area over the past couple of days.
‘This remains a complex and challenging investigation and we are appealing for anyone with any information to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 26 of March 16, 2022.’
You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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