Police searching for a missing mum from Lancashire have confirmed they have found a body in an area of woodland. Katie Kenyon was last seen getting in to a Ford Transit van in Burnley on Friday 22 April.
A man has since been charged with the murder of the 33-year-old, from Padilam in Burnley, and appeared in court earlier this week in connection with her disappearance.
Lancashire Police have confirmed this morning that officers searching for Katie found the body of a woman last night (29 April) in an area of the Forest of Bowland - after receiving a tip about where she could be.
READ MORE: Police launch targeted Katie Kenyon search in Forest of Bowland after new van sighting
Although detectives say they are not in a position to formally identify the woman's identity, they said they do believe the body is that of the mother.
In a statement released this morning, Lancashire Police said: "We can sadly confirm that our officers searching for missing Katie Kenyon have found the body of a woman. Our officers made the discovery last night (Friday, April 29th) in an area of the Forest of Bowland after receiving new information about a location where Katie could be.
"At this stage, although we are not in a position to formally confirm the woman’s identity, we do believe the body is that of Katie. Her family have been told and they continue to be supported by specially trained officers. Our thoughts are with them at this time. A Home Office post-mortem examination will now be carried out to try to establish the cause of death.
"We would like to thank the public and the media for all the help they have given us during what has been a protracted, complex and very emotive search and we would also like to thank both the partner agencies and all of the police officers and staff who have been involved in the search for Katie.
"While this is not the conclusion to those searches any of us would have wished for, we know the family appreciate those efforts. Once again, our thoughts today are with Katie’s family and all of her loved ones."
A man appeared in crown court yesterday (Friday, April 29th) charged with Katie’s murder. Andrew Burfield, 50, of Todmorden Road, Burnley will face trial in November.
