Southampton man rearrested after missing mum's remains found

Southampton man rearrested after missing mum's remains found

A 56-year-old man has recently been rearrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder, and has also been taken into custody on suspicion of murder itself, following the identification of human remains as those belonging to a missing mother of three. Joanne Sheen, who was 44 at the time, was last seen on 5 December 2019 when she traveled from Fareham to Southampton accompanied by a friend.

On 12 August, the Metropolitan Police responded to a report of bones discovered in shrubland at Padstow Walk in Feltham, London. This area had been affected by a fire about a week earlier. The man from Southampton had initially been arrested in 2020 but was later released on conditional bail. Another man, also 56 and from Southampton, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and was subsequently released on bail.

The investigation into Sheen’s disappearance involved a significant police operation that generated over 4,000 lines of inquiry, with officers taking more than 300 witness statements. Searches were conducted at over ten different locations, employing various vessels. Joanne Sheen was officially reported missing by her family in February 2020, roughly two months after her last confirmed sighting. Although multiple arrests on suspicion of conspiracy to murder were made in 2020, no charges were filed and the mystery surrounding her case remained unresolved.

The Metropolitan Police previously noted that Sheen did not have a permanent residence, nor did she own a vehicle or maintain a bank account. The London Fire Brigade had attended a fire at Bedfont Pits on 5 August, an event that damaged approximately two hectares of shrubland. The remains found by a member of the public near Bedfont Lakes Country Park prompted detectives to transfer the investigation from London authorities to Hampshire Police once the identity of the remains was confirmed as Joanne Sheen

Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More