Norfolk Broads mystery woman was 'strangled'

Fears grow that a Norfolk Broads holidaymaker strangled his girlfriend before drowning himself...

16:40 04 September 2012

Detectives investigating two deaths on the Norfolk Broads now believe that the man strangled his partner before drowning himself. 

 

The corpses were found by divers on Sunday after the woman's 13-year-old daughter was found all alone in a holiday cruiser.

 

Their 38ft long hire boat was found tied to a tree near Wroxham, Norfolk on the River Bure.

 

Items recovered by investigators include duct tape, a hard drive, a sex toy, lengths of cable and a blood-soaked sheet, according to The Sun.

 

While the police have not released the identities of the deceased, they have confirmed that they were in the 40s and from Surrey. 

 

They also said that the 13-year-old had been interviewed but would disclose any details of her ordeal. She is now being cared for by her family. 

 

Detective Superintendent Jes Fry, of the joint Norfolk and Suffolk major investigation team, said: "Our concerns remain for the welfare of the 13-year-old girl."

 

The local police issued a general statement which read: "Home Office forensic post-mortems showed that the woman had died before entering the water and it 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.

 

"We are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident."

 

The alarm was only raised when the boat's hire company, Le Boat, noted that they had not got the boat back as arranged for the Saturday. A quick search soon uncovered the vessel, known in the media as 'the death ship'.