Police have named the 54-year-old woman from a Cambridgeshire village at the centre of a murder probe. She is Julie Buckley of Christchurch near March who has not been since late January.
A 47-year-old man from Christchurch remains under arrest on suspicion of murder.
“Detectives are concerned enough about her welfare to treat her disappearance as a murder,” said a Cambridgeshire police spokesperson.
“Police continue to carry out enquiries and searches today to find Julie and determine the circumstances around why she is missing.”
Detectives from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, who are investigating, declared the case a no-body murder investigation yesterday.
Detective Inspector Richard Stott said: “We are trying to piece together Julie’s movements before she disappeared so I would appeal for anyone who has seen her in the past few weeks to get in touch.
“We know she has links to places in the surrounding area including March, Manea, and Chatteris so I would urge people who live in those areas to consider if they have information that could be of use to our inquiry.
“We are in touch with family of Julie and specially trained officers are keeping them up to date on the police inquiry at this very difficult time.
“Although we have always wanted to find Julie alive, the circumstances suggest she is likely to have come to serious harm, so we continue to treat her disappearance as murder.”
Anyone with information should contact the investigation team via our dedicated portal here https://mipp.police.uk/operation/35SA020125C04-PO1
Anyone without internet access should call 101 and quote Operation Dragonfish.
Two bungalows – eight miles apart – have been sealed off by police after launching the murder probe.
Detectives from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit declared the case a ‘no-body’ murder investigation yesterday (Friday).
Detective Inspector Richard Stott said: “Concern was raised for the woman last night (Thursday) and due to the length of time since she was last seen and concerns that she may have come to some harm, we are treating this as a murder investigation.”
Bungalows in the village of Christchurch and the town of March are being searched, and police remain outside both.
Cambridgeshire police initially turned their attention to the bungalow in Christchurch on Friday after the woman who lived there was reported missing.
Later, after it was announced by Cambridgeshire police it was now a ‘no-body- murder inquiry, the second bungalow in March became the focus of their attention. It, too, has been secured with police tape.
Neighbours said they had not seen the woman for a while as Cambridgeshire police announced an arrest had been made.
Police taped off the missing woman’s house in Christchurch near March, Cambridgeshire, on Friday. Police cars were seen both at the back and front of the house and police tape circles the garden.
“The woman from Christchurch, who is in her 50s, has not been seen since late January and police have been carrying out enquiries and searches but so far to no avail,” said a spokesperson for Cambridgeshire police.
“Detectives are concerned enough about her welfare to treat her disappearance as a murder.”
The spokesperson confirmed that a 47-year-old man from Christchurch has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in custody.
Cambridgeshire police searching for a missing woman from the village of Christchurch near March have launched a murder investigation. Bungalows in Christchurch and in Grounds Avenue, March, have been sealed with police at both.
