Man arrested after woman’s body found on rural road

It has not been confirmed if the body is that of a woman reported missing the night before

The body of a woman was found on this country road in Leicestershire, near the junction of Charley Road and Beacon Road (Google)

A 29-year-old man from Leicestershire has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman’s body was found on a rural road.

The discovery was made near the village of Woodhouse Eaves in the early hours of Sunday, Leicestershire Police said.

It was found after the force received a report of a missing woman from outside the county on Saturday evening.

In a statement, Leicestershire Police said: “Detectives from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit have launched a murder investigation after the body of a woman was found.

“Yesterday evening a report of a missing woman was received from outside the Leicestershire force area. Officers were deployed to try and locate her; however, in the early hours a body was found in Charley Road, close to the B591 Beacon Road.

“Following initial inquiries, a 29-year-old man from Coalville was arrested on suspicion of murder. He remains in custody at this time.”

Detectives are appealing for anyone who saw a white Citroen C3 in the area on Friday night to come forward. It is believed the car travelled between Coalville and Loughborough between 8pm and 10pm.

Officers would like to speak to anyone who saw the vehicle or captured its movements on a dashcam or CCTV camera.

The area of the road on which the body was found is surrounded by fields with no visible buildings around, Google Street View images show.

Detective Inspector Steve Wragg said: “Our investigation is very much in its early stages and one man who was arrested in the early hours of this morning is being questioned by detectives.

“I do not believe there was anyone else involved in the woman’s death.

“While Charley Road is a rural country road, I would like to speak to anyone who happened to have been driving or walking in the area either yesterday evening or in the early hours of this morning and saw or heard anything unusual or suspicious.

“Any information you have, no matter how insignificant you think it is, could help my investigation.”

Information can be passed to detectives via the Leicestershire Police website’s crime reporting page, quoting reference 500 of 8 August.