Detectives who forced their way into a house and found the body of a woman with head injuries want to quiz a man who plunged off an 80ft high seaside cliff 90 miles away.
They think he can help them with the dead woman’s final moments – but they can’t question him because he’s fighting for life in hospital after suffering multiple injuries in the horrific cliff fall.
Police want to know if the man, aged 54 and from Leicester, jumped off the cliff in Hunstanton, Norfolk, in a suicide bid after the woman, in her forties, died.
They said today they believe the two incidents are linked and they are not looking for anyone else.
Detectives who forced their way into a house and found the body of a woman with head injuries want to quiz a man who plunged off an 80ft high seaside cliff 90 miles away
Police want to know if the man, aged 54 and from Leicester, jumped off the cliff in Hunstanton, Norfolk, in a suicide bid after the woman died. Pictured: Norfolk Police search cliffs in Hunstanton on Friday
Hunstanton is a two-hour drive from the house in Tennis Court Drive, Leicester, where the woman was found dead.
Leicestershire Police said today that a post mortem has shown she died of a head injury.
They have not revealed her name yet, or the identity of the man who is still fighting for his life in hospital.
Photographs have emerged of emergency services at the scene in Hunstanton where he plunged.
Norfolk-based photographer Gary Pearson was nearby at the time and managed to get several shots of emergency services as they worked to save him as he lay on the beach, critically injured.
Mr Pearson said ‘There is some sand on that particular part of the beach, but the part where he was is very rocky.’
Hunstanton is a two-hour drive from the house in Tennis Court Drive, Leicester, where the woman was found dead. Pictured: Norfolk Police search cliffs in Hunstanton on Friday
Leicestershire Police said today that a post mortem of the woman has shown she died of a head injury. Pictured: Norfolk Police search cliffs in Hunstanton on Friday
Mr Pearson, who was visiting Hunstanton while photographing wildlife a few miles away, said he saw the air ambulance landing.
‘I don’t know the exact height of the cliffs, but I’d say it would be approximately 70 to 80ft.
‘The man’s injuries were clearly very serious.’
The drama began around 9.15am on Thursday, April 15 when Norfolk Police were called to the beach below the cliffs at Hunstanton where the 54-year-old man from Leicester was found in a critical condition with life-threatening injuries.
He was winched up from the beach by a coastguard air sea rescue helicopter and flown to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge where he remains, fighting for his life today.
It’s not known if horrified people saw him plunge over the edge, or whether he was found and how long he’d been lying there.
At 10.30am on Thursday morning police went to the house in Tennis Court Drive, Leicester because they had ‘concern for the welfare of the occupant’.
Photographs have emerged of emergency services at the scene in Hunstanton where he plunged (pictured)
Inside, they found the body of a woman, in her 40s.
It’s not clear how long she had lain dead and undiscovered.
Detective Chief Inspector Joe Banfield from East Midlands Special Operations Unit, who is leading the investigation, said ‘At this stage, we believe the two incidents are linked and we are currently not looking for anyone else in connection with the death.
‘Officers are in the area of Tennis Court Drive and Hunstanton conducting a number of enquiries and will be speaking to local residents to see if they saw or heard anything which may be connected to what happened.’
The woman’s family have been informed of her death and are being supported by specialist officers.
Detectives have sealed off the house so scenes-of-crime experts can carry out a forensic examination.
DCI Banfield added ‘I would like to appeal to anyone who hasn’t spoken to police who may have any information related to this incident to get in touch.
‘The information you may have could prove extremely important to our investigation so please do not hesitate.’
People should phone 101 quoting incident 127 of April 15.