Body find on Queen's estate leads to murder probe
Source: Agencies |
January 5, 2012, Thursday
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A MURDER mystery with elements of an Agatha Christie "whodunit" is unfolding on the country estate where Queen Elizabeth II and her family gathered in rural splendor for Christmas and New Year.
British police said that a young woman's body was found in the forest at Sandringham and that they are treating it as a murder case.
An autopsy was conducted on Tuesday, but the precise cause of death was not disclosed, and investigators have yet to establish the woman's identity.
The royal family is not implicated in the crime in any way.
The body was discovered by a dog walker on New Year's Day five kilometers from the Queen's elegant country home. Norfolk police said tests showed the body had been there for between one and four months.
Police said a forensic pathologist found that it was highly unlikely the death was from natural causes and that there was no evidence of accidental injury. Investigators hoped to use DNA to identify the woman.
The Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, celebrated the holidays at Sandringham with their children and grandchildren. The couple were still at Sandringham on Tuesday, along with their youngest son, Prince Edward, and his wife, Sophie.
Part of the nearly 80-square kilometers estate is open to the public, and the body was found at Anmer, a hamlet of several dozen people. Situated 185 kilometers northeast of London, Sandringham, one of the Queen's favorite residences, especially during the holidays, has two stud farms and a fruit farm and employs more than 100 people.
Forensics investigators in white gear were seen walking through the woods on Tuesday in a cordoned off area.
"We are at the very early stages of the investigation and it could be a complex inquiry," Detective Chief Inspector Jes Fry said on Tuesday. "The body had been there for some time."
Fry said authorities were examining missing person reports and unsolved cases around the country to see if there were any possible links.
British police said that a young woman's body was found in the forest at Sandringham and that they are treating it as a murder case.
An autopsy was conducted on Tuesday, but the precise cause of death was not disclosed, and investigators have yet to establish the woman's identity.
The royal family is not implicated in the crime in any way.
The body was discovered by a dog walker on New Year's Day five kilometers from the Queen's elegant country home. Norfolk police said tests showed the body had been there for between one and four months.
Police said a forensic pathologist found that it was highly unlikely the death was from natural causes and that there was no evidence of accidental injury. Investigators hoped to use DNA to identify the woman.
The Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, celebrated the holidays at Sandringham with their children and grandchildren. The couple were still at Sandringham on Tuesday, along with their youngest son, Prince Edward, and his wife, Sophie.
Part of the nearly 80-square kilometers estate is open to the public, and the body was found at Anmer, a hamlet of several dozen people. Situated 185 kilometers northeast of London, Sandringham, one of the Queen's favorite residences, especially during the holidays, has two stud farms and a fruit farm and employs more than 100 people.
Forensics investigators in white gear were seen walking through the woods on Tuesday in a cordoned off area.
"We are at the very early stages of the investigation and it could be a complex inquiry," Detective Chief Inspector Jes Fry said on Tuesday. "The body had been there for some time."
Fry said authorities were examining missing person reports and unsolved cases around the country to see if there were any possible links.
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