Advertisement

Watlington: Murder suspect in hospital after woman’s body found at Oxfordfordshire National Trust estate

PA
PA

A 23-year-old man has been arrested after a woman in her sixties was found dead at a National Trust estate in Oxfordshire.

Thames Valley Police found the woman's body in woodland on the Watlington Hill estate just before 6pm on Friday.

The murder suspect is in hospital with serious injuries. He was detained after he was found "naked and bleeding" in the shower room of a nearby property, according to a neighbour.

Police said the victim was aged in her 60s and was known to the suspect.

Sue Yerburgh told the MailOnline: “I heard someone crashing through the undergrowth which is very unusual around here.

Forensic investigators at Watlington Hill in Oxfordshire (PA)
Forensic investigators at Watlington Hill in Oxfordshire (PA)

“He got into the next door house. They were in their swimming pool and found him in the shower room naked and bleeding.”

Another neighbour, who did not wish to be named, told PA: “The first we knew was that someone had been hit by a car about 5pm and this person had staggered into the woods.

“We heard a helicopter going over and there were a lot of police cars, we didn’t actually know what was going on.

“I might have heard the guy coming into the woods but I didn’t see anything. It was very unsettling as it could have been our house that he had gone into.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is being treated for serious injuries (PA)
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is being treated for serious injuries (PA)

“It’s a quiet village so it’s a bit disconcerting.”

A force spokesman said: “At around 5.53pm on Friday the body of a woman in her 60s was located in woodland in the Watlington Hill National Trust park.

“The woman’s next of kin have been informed and they are being supported by specially trained officers. However formal identification processes and a post-mortem are yet to be carried out.

“Officers from our Major Crime Unit launched a murder enquiry and officers located a 23-year-old man and he was arrested on suspicion of murder.

“He is currently being treated in hospital for serious injuries with his condition described as serious but stable.”

Detective superintendent Craig Kirby added: “We believe that this was not a random attack and that the victim and the attacker were known to each other.

“The arrested man remains in the custody of police officers while he receives hospital treatment for serious injuries.

“I would continue to appeal for anyone with information around this incident no matter how insignificant it may seem to please come forward.”

Additional reporting by PA Media.

Read more

Teenage boy, 17, stabbed to death in north east London