Woman, 48, charged with murder after body found in back garden

Body found in Northampton garden
PA

A 48-year-old woman has been charged with murder after a man’s body was found buried in a back garden.

Fiona Beal was arrested at a hotel in Cumbria shortly after midnight on Wednesday after Northamptonshire Police launched a homicide investigation.

The force said the body, believed to be that of a 42-year-old missing man, was found in the garden of a house in Northampton on Saturday afternoon after they were called to an address in Moore Street, Kingsley.

Forensic officers and specialist search teams, including a cadaver dog, were deployed to the address and the discovery was made after an extensive search, police added.

On Sunday, two police officers guarded the door of the property, with a forensics team going in and out of the house.

Two police cars and a police van were also stationed outside the address.

Police said the remains are expected be taken to Leicester where they will be forensically examined by a Home Office pathologist.

Detective Chief Inspector Adam Pendlebury, from the major crime team of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, 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.”

Beal, of Moore Street, is due to appear at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Monday morning.

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