MURDER PROBE: PAIR QUIZZED
Two arrested after woman found dead in city flat
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder following a woman’s death, police have now revealed.
Nicola Ross, who was also known as Shaw, was found unconscious inside a flat in Hylton Court, Oxclose, Washington, earlier this month.
Northumbria Police has said they are treating the 41-year-old’s death as “unexplained.” But officers have now confirmed the two men who were arrested as part of the ongoing inquiry have both been questioned on suspicion of murder.
The pair, both aged 40, were taken into custody at the time of her death and have been released on bail as inquiries continue.
Nicola, who was found inside the mid-storey flat in a block of three, was discovered with injuries, but police have previously said it is not known if those were the cause of her death.
A spokesman for Northumbria Police said: “Nicola was found unconscious in an address in Hylton Court in Oxclose, Washington on Monday, August 14. Emergency services were called and attended the address but she sadly died a short time later at the scene. Inquiries are ongoing into the death, which is still being treated as unexplained.”
Police received a call at 12.15pm on that day reporting concert for a woman inside the address after she was found unconscious. Residents say they saw a heavy police presence in the street as inquiries began, with bins cordoned off before they were searched the following morning.
Following the tragedy one 60-year-old woman, who lives with her family in a nearby house, said: “We just saw the police and the ambulance arrive and they have been here all day. It’s very sad what’s happened, we were shocked when we heard.” Anyone with information that may help with the investigation is asked to contact Northumbria Police on 101 quoting reference 457 140817, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.