Beauty boss ‘murdered in her £1m country lane home’
Relative, 22, held by police
THE family of a mother found dead at home paid tribute to the ‘irreplaceable’ beauty consultant last night as police questioned a relative on suspicion of murder.
Officers called at Fiona Fisher’s £1million country home after relatives became concerned that the 51year-old had not returned calls.
Police found her body and arrested a 22-year-old man – related to Mrs Fisher – on suspicion of murder. He remained in custody last night.
Detectives are trying to piece together what happened inside the property in Crowborough, East Sussex, after reportedly finding blood in the bedroom.
The mother-of-two’s family said they were struggling to come to terms with the tragedy as officers scoured the house for clues. A statement said: ‘Fiona will be sadly missed by her daughter Megan, her mother Dorothy and stepfather Les, as well as her father. There are no words to explain the love those around her felt for her, she is irreplaceable.’
Mrs Fisher was found dead on Friday evening at the double-fronted Victorian detached home where she had lived since 2000.
Investigators said they were ‘not seeking anyone else’ over the death.
The five-bedroom property had been on and off the market over the past year, and neighbours said they had rarely
‘This is such a sleepy hollow’
seen the victim in recent months. Mrs Fisher worked as an assistant manager for upmarket beauty products brand L’Occitane in nearby Tunbridge Wells, according to one online profile.
Neighbours said she was in a relationship with a new man after splitting from her husband Ian, 52, a former hedge fund sales director.
Public records show the couple, who married in Richmond, West London, had two children together – Thomas, aged 22, and 20-year-old Megan.
Mr Fisher now runs a company offering bespoke services to supercar owners based at Dunsfold Park in Surrey, the home of BBC’s Top Gear.
One neighbour said: ‘I haven’t seen her for months because I know she was trying to sell the property for a year or so.
‘She’s spent most of her time building a new life with someone, I think that’s why she was trying to sell the house.
‘Along this lane, we all know each other and all the neighbours are very friendly with each other but she was private.
‘She didn’t really want to be involved in that sort of thing. I hadn’t seen her since before Christmas actually.
‘It’s a real shock really. I’m very surprised. She kept herself quite to herself.’
Neighbours said the property had failed to sell due to a lack of parking on the isolated country lane on the outskirts of the town. Yesterday, police remained at the house and a black forensics tent concealed the front door.
Another neighbour said: ‘ This has stunned us. We live in a fairly remote spot and people were extremely nervous to hear it could be a murder investigation. It is a lovely property, very expensive, and has been sold several times over the years. No one seems to have seen or heard anything.
‘This is such a sleepy hollow. We are in a state of disbelief something like this could happen. I didn’t know the woman well but she was always pleasant and friendly.’
Police said they had been called at 7.20pm on Friday. A Sussex Police spokesman said: ‘Officers arrested a man after finding the body of a woman on Friday evening. After speaking to him, he was arrested on suspicion of murder. He is currently in custody and we are not seeking anyone else in connection with this inquiry.’