Police search remote farmland for body of TV extra who went missing eight years ago before she could claim £1m inheritance
A television extra who went missing
before she was able to claim a £1.1million inheritance may have been
murdered, police have said today.
Janet Brown, who starred in ITV’s Distant Shores, has not been seen since June 2005 and the 53-year-old is feared dead.
Police have been investigating a farm southwest of Ms Brown’s home town of Hexham, Northumberland, in search of her body.
Single woman Ms Brown was known for her love of travelling and as a result, friends were not concerned when she went missing eight years ago.
Suspicion regarding her safety arose when irregular activities were reported in her deceased parents’ bank account in 2009.
Extensive inquiries around the world, including in Thailand, have drawn a blank and now police feel sure she has been killed.
Northumbria Police arrested a 59-year-old Tynedale man on suspicion of murder in December 2012, and he was bailed pending further inquiries.
Previously, the arrested man was held on suspicion of fraud when concerns were raised about allegedly suspicious bank activity relating to the account of her dead parents, reported to be worth £1.1m, which Ms Brown never made a claim for.
Officers were scouring a farm near Sparty Lea, south west of Hexham, in the remote North Pennines.
Wearing fluorescent jackets, search specialists were seen at the 40-acre farm, which has not been worked for several years, dismantling a dry stone wall. They also brought in heavy machinery, including a digger and dump truck.
It was expected the search could last for several weeks. The force has drafted in experts in archaeology and geophysicists.
‘As a result of that we started looking for Janet Brown and after extensive enquiries to try to establish where she was, we've come to a point that we believe that she's dead and this is now being treated as a murder inquiry.
‘It has been a really difficult investigation. Since 2009 we've been trying to find some evidence that Janet Brown was still alive but I'm now satisfied that she is dead.
‘Her parents are both dead and there is an estate but she has never claimed the estate.
The detective added: ‘These searches will be detailed and it is not clear what, if anything, they will reveal.
‘That's why we still need the public to get in touch if they have any information at all about Janet Brown's whereabouts over recent years.
‘Any information, no matter how trivial people think it is, could prove vital.’
Temporary Chief Superintendent Dianne Winship, from Northumberland Area Command, said: ‘While we appreciate people may well be concerned by these developments I'd stress there is no risk to the general public and this is a long running and historic case.
‘I'd also like to reassure the people of Tynedale that any disruption will be kept to an absolute minimum and there won't be any change to day-to-day policing in the area.’
Anyone with information should call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Janet Brown, who starred in ITV’s Distant Shores, has not been seen since June 2005 and the 53-year-old is feared dead.
Police have been investigating a farm southwest of Ms Brown’s home town of Hexham, Northumberland, in search of her body.
Single woman Ms Brown was known for her love of travelling and as a result, friends were not concerned when she went missing eight years ago.
Suspicion regarding her safety arose when irregular activities were reported in her deceased parents’ bank account in 2009.
Extensive inquiries around the world, including in Thailand, have drawn a blank and now police feel sure she has been killed.
Northumbria Police arrested a 59-year-old Tynedale man on suspicion of murder in December 2012, and he was bailed pending further inquiries.
Previously, the arrested man was held on suspicion of fraud when concerns were raised about allegedly suspicious bank activity relating to the account of her dead parents, reported to be worth £1.1m, which Ms Brown never made a claim for.
Officers were scouring a farm near Sparty Lea, south west of Hexham, in the remote North Pennines.
Wearing fluorescent jackets, search specialists were seen at the 40-acre farm, which has not been worked for several years, dismantling a dry stone wall. They also brought in heavy machinery, including a digger and dump truck.
It was expected the search could last for several weeks. The force has drafted in experts in archaeology and geophysicists.
Forensic team: Police start to dig up land at
Greenhill Farm near to Sparty Lea in Allendale as part of their search
for missing heiress Janet Brown
Hidden answers: Police and search specialists
plan the search on the remote disused farm in Northumberland where they
hope to find evidence of the murder of Janet Brown
Search: The investigation into the whereabouts
of Ms Brown, who would now have been 53, began following 'irregular
activities' in her deceased parents bank account
Detective Chief Inspector Nicola
Musgrove, speaking outside Hexham police station, said: ‘The police
investigation commenced in 2009 after a report in relation to
irregularities in the parents' bank account.‘As a result of that we started looking for Janet Brown and after extensive enquiries to try to establish where she was, we've come to a point that we believe that she's dead and this is now being treated as a murder inquiry.
‘It has been a really difficult investigation. Since 2009 we've been trying to find some evidence that Janet Brown was still alive but I'm now satisfied that she is dead.
‘Her parents are both dead and there is an estate but she has never claimed the estate.
Heavy machinery: Forensic workers in high-visibility vests used a digger and a dump truck in their search on the farm
Looking for answers: Police dug up the soil on
the farm, which has not been in use for several years, and also
dismantled a dry stone wall
Investigation: Northumberland police are scouring the 40-acre farmland in the hopes of finding evidence of Janet Brown's murder
‘That's why we still need the public to get in touch if they have any information at all about Janet Brown's whereabouts over recent years.
‘Any information, no matter how trivial people think it is, could prove vital.’
Temporary Chief Superintendent Dianne Winship, from Northumberland Area Command, said: ‘While we appreciate people may well be concerned by these developments I'd stress there is no risk to the general public and this is a long running and historic case.
‘I'd also like to reassure the people of Tynedale that any disruption will be kept to an absolute minimum and there won't be any change to day-to-day policing in the area.’
Anyone with information should call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Acting job: Ms Brown was an extra on ITV comedy drama Distant Shores, starring Peter Davidson and Samantha Bond