UK: Three women dead as serial killer fears set in

British police investigating the murders of two prostitutes have confirmed that the body of a third woman is also that of sex worker.

The woman’s body was discovered by a member of the public in Woodland at Nacton, near Ipswich, yesterday afternoon.

Police said it was too early to say whether the death was linked to the murders of Gemma Adams and Tania Nicol who were found two miles apart in the same stretch of water.

Police said they are currently treating the death as “unexplained”.

Ms Adams, 25, and Ms Nicol, 19, both went missing from the red light district of Ipswich.

Ms Adams disappeared in the early hours of November 15 and was found in a brook at Hintlesham, Suffolk, on December 2.

Miss Nicol vanished on October 30. Her body was discovered on Friday at Copdock, near Ipswich.

Detectives are linking the murders and have said there were “striking similarities” between their deaths.

Initial post-mortem examinations on both women have proved inconclusive and detectives said further tests were needed to establish how they died, which could take up to six weeks.

Detective Chief Inspector John Quinton said there was no evidence that either woman had been sexually assaulted and there were no obvious signs of violence to either body.

Detective Superintendent Andy Henwood, who is leading the murder investigation, appealed for anyone who saw either of the women on the day they disappeared to contact police.

He said clients of the women would be treated in total confidence.

“The discovery of both women’s bodies in these circumstances is of great concern to us,” he said.

“It is very rare to have a linked murder investigation and we are now reliant on information from the public to help move these investigations forward.

“We still need to hear from people who saw Tania and Gemma on the evening they disappeared, or saw suspicious activity in the Hintlesham area where Gemma’s body was found or indeed along the stretch of water known as Belstead Brook.

“The bodies were found in the same waterway, albeit around two miles apart.

“Both of the women’s bodies were naked when they were found and we still need to trace the clothing they were wearing on the night they went missing.”

Officers from Suffolk are working closely with other forces including neighbouring Norfolk, which has investigated the murders of three prostitutes from Norwich and the disappearance of a fourth in recent years.

The force is also working with specialists and other agencies to build up a profile of the person or persons responsible.