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Mystery of 48-year-old Emily Sanderson who disappeared at funeral and was found dead in Sheffield house
The family of Emily Sanderson had been desperately appealing to find the 48-year-old ever since she disappeared on May 19.
The 48-year-old, originally from Leeds but living in Sheffield, had last been seen at a family funeral before she was officially reported missing to the police on Thursday, May 25. Tragically, five days after that search began, Emily’s body would be found in a Sheffield house.
The body of the missing woman was found inside a property on Crofton Avenue, between Hillsborough and Middlewood, during a search conducted by officers from South Yorkshire Police. It has been confirmed today that a 43-year-old Sheffield man has been arrested in connection with the death.
Read More: ‘Murder’ victim found dead in Sheffield home named as 48-year-old missing woman
What happened between May 19 and May 30 remains, at this time, a mystery. As police look to put together the puzzle pieces of this tragic waste of life, they are appealing for anyone that knew of Emily’s movements during that time period to get in touch.
Their investigation has been hindered by the condition of the property on Crofton Avenue which neighbours believed had been empty for some time before the grim discovery. Today it was confirmed that a painstaking forensic examination of the scene had been undertaken.
Speaking on Thursday, before Emily was named by the police, one neighbour on Crofton Avenue said: “The first thing we knew anything was wrong was when the police swarmed into the street. It has come as a massive shock to us all to be honest.
“It is a really nice area, it is very quiet normally and a lot of us do know each other to chat to and its a really nice place to live. It isn’t the sort of thing you’d ever expect to happen around here.
“All I know is that the house was empty for a while, there was a woman living there a while ago but she’s not been there for a bit. It is such a tragic thing to happen so close to home, I just hope it gets sorted soon.”
Sheffield residents are now being asked to check CCTV or doorbell footage if they live near to Crofton Avenue to help build a picture of Emily’s movements. Anyone with information about here whereabouts in the days leading up to May 30 should call 101 immediately.
Detective Chief Inspector Andrea Bowell said: “The property at Crofton Avenue, where Emily’s body was found, has undergone painstaking and extensive forensic examination. This is necessary to gather as much evidence as possible to help us understand exactly what happened.
“Emily’s family and friends are understandably devastated by her death. We are carrying out our enquiries with the respect and compassion that Emily and her loved ones deserve, while we work as quickly as we can to identify and locate those responsible for causing her harm. I’d reiterate her family’s desire for privacy as they grieve their tragic loss.
“Now we have been able to establish Emily’s identity, I’d urge anyone who may have information to come forward. Emily was reported missing to police on Thursday 25 May, after she had not been seen or heard from since the previous Friday (19 May).
“We’d therefore be keen to hear from anyone who may be able to tell us more about Emily’s movements since 19 May, whether they saw her or spoke with her, as that information could be incredibly important to our investigation.”
If you have any information about Emily’s movements while she was missing, you can pass this to the investigation team via the online live chat, online portal or by calling 101, quoting incident number 389 of 30 May 2023. You can access the online portal here: www.southyorks.police.uk/contact-us/report-something/
You can also submit any dashcam, video doorbell or CCTV footage you feel may be helpful to the investigation by emailing it to [email protected] quoting the incident number in the subject title. If you’d prefer not to speak to police directly you can contact independent charity Crimestoppers either via their UK Contact Centre on freephone 0800 555 111 or by completing a simple, secure form online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
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