Norfolk Broads: Woman's Death Suspicious

4 September 2012, 00:00 | Updated: 4 September 2012, 06:16

Officers from Norfolk and Suffolk's Major Investigation Team can confirm that the death of a woman on the River Bure at the weekend is now being treated as suspicious.

The bodies of a man and a woman, both thought to be aged in their 40s and believed to be from Surrey area, were discovered in water Sunday afternoon by divers close to where the boat containing the 13 year old child had previously been discovered.

Home Office forensic post mortems which began Monday morning at the James Paget Hospital, showed that the woman had died before entering the water and is likely that the cause of death was strangulation.  The man is believed to have died through drowning.  His death is not being treated as suspicious.

Formal identification on both people has not taken place.  The woman requires forensic identification procedures which could take up to 48 hours.  The formal identification for the man will not take place until today.

The boat continues to be examined. 

Detective Superintendent Jes Fry, of the joint Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team, who is overseeing the investigation, said: "Our concerns remain for the welfare of the 13 year old girl and her family and we would ask that members of the media refrain from contacting them and respect their privacy at this extremely difficult time.  We are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident.  Both deaths will now be referred to the Coroner and a file will be prepared for the inquest."