Emily Sanderson murder: Everything known about investigation into death of woman after body is found in house

Discovery of Emily’s body

- The body of 50-year-old Emily Sanderson was found at a property on Crofton Avenue, Hillsborough, on Tuesday, May 30, 2023.

- Speaking following the discovery, a spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police said the force had launched a murder investigation.

- The spokesperson also said that due to ‘conditions inside the property’ where Emily was found, enquiries were likely to be delayed, while the force allowed for ‘meticulous forensic examination of the scene’.

- Emily’s identity was confirmed by South Yorkshire Police today (Friday, June 2).

Murder arrest

- In a statement released just after 1pm on Friday, June 2, 2023, a South Yorkshire Police spokesperson confirmed a Sheffield man had been arrested in connection with Emily’s death. They said: “A 43-year-old Sheffield man has been arrested today (Friday 2 June) in connection with the death of Emily Sanderson.

The man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is currently in police custody.”

Missing for 11 days

- The force released an update into the ongoing investigation into Emily’s death this morning (Friday, June 2), in which they confirmed Emily was reported missing in the days running up to her death.

- A force spokesperson said Emily was last seen on Friday, May 19, 2023, and she was subsequently reported missing on Thursday, May 25, 2023.

- A friend of Emily’s shared a post on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in which they appealed for help to find Emily, and said her friends and family were ‘very worried’ about her.

- Emily’s body was found on the same day, May 30, 2023.

- Detective Chief Inspector Andrea Bowell said the force is appealing for information on Emily’s movements since May 19, 2023. She said: “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.”

Cause of death

- As part of this morning’s update, a South Yorkshire Police spokesperson also confirmed a forensic post-mortem examination has determined that Emily died of head injuries.

Woman arrested

- Police confirmed yesterday (Thursday, June 1, 2023) that a 40-year-old woman had been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

- No-one has been arrested on suspicion of Emily’s murder, however.

Police referral to the IOPC

- A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson confirmed today (Friday, June 2, 2023) that the force had made a ‘mandatory’ referral to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

- Guidance from the IOPC states that police forces ‘must’ refer themselves to the IOPC over the following ‘conduct matters’:

1, “Recordable conduct matters that relate to any incident where someone has died or suffered serious injury during or in consequence of police contact.”

2, “Recordable conduct matters that fall within the mandatory referral criteria.”

3, “Recordable conduct matters which the IOPC notifies the appropriate authority that it must refer.”

Emily’s family and friends

- DCI Bowell said Emily’s family have asked for privacy following her ‘tragic death’.

“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,” DCI Bowell said.

Police cordon

- The property on Clifton Avenue has remained under police guard since the discovery of Emily’s body since Tuesday, and the cordon was still in place this morning.

- Photos show how the junction at Overton Road remained taped off to traffic this morning (June 2).

- DCI Bowell said the force was carrying out ‘painstaking’ and ‘extensive’ forensic enquiries at the property.

- In full, DCI Bowell’s statement reads: “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.”

Property at centre of investigation was ‘recently sold,’ claim neighbours

- Neighbours claim the two-storey home on Crofton Avenue has been sold within the last three months. A ‘sold’ sign remains outside the property.

- One resident told The Star: “I’m not aware anyone was living there at all. I thought it was empty. It was listed and sold very quickly around three months ago. Because I’m a bit nosy, I looked up the listing online at the time. I thought it was quite derelict and needed a lot of work. I think someone was living there a year ago. I don’t know if they moved house or passed away.

“Other than that, this is quite a quiet neighbourhood, except for people struggling for parking spaces on match days.”

Appeal for information

- Anyone with information about Emily’s disappearance or death is asked to pass this to the investigation team the force’s live chat, our online portal or by calling 101, quoting incident number 389 of 30 May, 2023. You can access their online portal here: www.southyorks.police.uk/contact-us/report-something/

- Members of the public 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 would 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