Woman, 48, charged with murder after body found buried in garden in Northampton

20 March 2022, 14:40 | Updated: 20 March 2022, 16:10

A woman has been charged with murder after police found a body buried in the back garden of a house in Northampton.

Northamptonshire Police said Fiona Beal, 48, had been charged with murder after the body of a missing man, 42, was found buried in the garden.

She was charged shortly after midnight, following the launch of a homicide investigation by Northamptonshire Police some days earlier, the force confirmed.

Officers were initially called to an address in Moore Street, Kingsley, on Wednesday where they began a search.

Forensic officers and specialist police search teams, including a cadaver dog, were deployed. The body was found on Saturday.

The remains will be forensically examined by a pathologist in coming days, police said.

Beal was arrested at a hotel in Cumbria on Wednesday morning.

Det Chief Inspector Adam Pendlebury, from the Major Crime team of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), 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 are asking anyone with any information to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 26 of March 16, 2022.”