Nottinghamshire Police said a body found during the search for missing Holly Whittaker was formally identified as hers on September 16. Whittaker, 28, was last seen in the Mapperley area on September 4, and the search reached a new stage after officers found a woman’s body in Nottingham city centre on September 15.
Detective Chief Inspector Claire Gould said: "Our specially-trained officers are supporting Holly's family at this difficult time, following yesterday's tragic development." She also said: "A file will now be prepared for the coroner as our investigations continue."
Queen's Road search area
The body was found yesterday afternoon in the vicinity of Queen's Road, and police later identified Whittaker as the person found. That shifted the case from a missing-person appeal into the coroner process, with police still carrying out their inquiries.
The route from last sighting to identification ran across 11 days. Nottinghamshire Police had launched an appeal after Whittaker was last seen on September 4, asking for information as they worked to locate her in Nottingham and the surrounding area.
Claire Gould statement
Gould said: "While the circumstances are still being investigated, at this time, we are not treating her death as suspicious." She added: "We would like to thank everyone who came forward with any information or shared our public appeals since Holly was first reported missing."
For anyone following the case in Nottingham, the immediate next step is the coroner file and the continuing police investigation. A similar identification step followed a body found in another case, such as the Metro police identify Conor Anderson after body found at 14 James Robertson Pkwy, where police also moved from recovery to formal identification.
The search for Whittaker now ends with a named identification, but the cause of death has not been explained in the police statement. Her family is being supported by specially-trained officers while investigators complete the next stage of the case.
