A missing woman has died after being found in a stream by police officers this afternoon.
Wiltshire Police launched a search operation to find the woman, in her 40s, in the Chiseldon area at around 10am this morning, with the police helicopter circling overhead for more than an hour.
The search was focused in the Washpool area, a nature reserve which is accessed from Church Street, with a large number of emergency vehicles parked at Butts Business Centre.
Two specialist Incident Response Units from South Western Ambulance Service were called to assist local paramedics at the scene after finding the woman in the woodland.
It’s understood the woman was pronounced deceased in a stream which runs through the woodland shortly before 1pm. The police helicopter remained overhead until 1.30pm.
At 2pm, two detectives from Swindon CID arrived at Butts Business Centre wearing wellies as they ventured into the muddy woodland to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death. Forensic investigators soon joined them, accessing the area from Church Street.
An hour later an off-road buggy was unloaded from the back of one of the ambulance Incident Response Units thought to aid the recovery of the woman’s body from a difficult to access area.
Wiltshire Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) due to its contact with the missing person prior to her death.
A spokesperson for the force said: “At approximately 10am this morning (02/07) we received a call regarding concerns for the welfare of a woman aged in her 40s from Chiseldon.
“Officers attended the area and conducted extensive searches and the woman was located at approximately 12.45pm. Ambulance crews treated the woman but she sadly died a short time later.
“There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding her death and her next of kin have been notified. Our thoughts are with her friends and family at this difficult time.”
Last Thursday, specialist paramedics and police officers rescued a suicidal woman from the same area of woodland following a call to a concern for welfare. It’s not clear if it was the same person.
