Dawn Sturgess Amesbury victim dies

The woman involved in the major incident has sadly died“Today is the day we hoped would never come. It is with great sadness that we have learned of the tragic death of 44 year old Dawn Sturgess, as reported by AC Neil Basu and the Prime Minister. On behalf of all officers, staff and volunteers working for Wiltshire Police I wish to pass on our condolences to the family and friends of Dawn at this terrible time.“I cannot begin to imagine the pain and suffering they must be feeling, coupled with all the questions they need answers to.“As confirmed by the Counter Terrorism Policing Network this evening, Dawn’s death is now being treated as murder.“I know this news will affect more people than just those who knew Dawn – it will affect our communities right across the county. Understandably, this is likely to raise the level of concern in Amesbury and Salisbury.“I would like to remind our communities that this tragic development has not changed the Public Health England advice, which is that the risk to the wider public remains low. This is being kept under constant review as further information becomes known.“We continue to support the ongoing Counter Terrorism Policing Network investigation in addition to co-ordinating the multi-agency local response. The investigation team continue to work tirelessly to establish the sequence of events that have led to this tragic incident. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the 45 year old man who remains in hospital in a critical condition and his family and friends at this most difficult of times.“I would urge anyone in either Amesbury or Salisbury who have questions, following today’s sad news, to speak to one of our officers out and about in the community. If they cannot answer your questions, they should be able to direct you to the most appropriate organisation who can.“Our helplines are also open – please call us if you have any concerns. The numbers are 0800 0920 410 or 0207 158 0124.“I would also like to take this opportunity to repeat a number of points made by Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu from the Counter Terrorism Policing Network, which include:• CT Police are not yet in a position to say whether the nerve agent was from the same batch that the Skripals were exposed to.• The investigation into the attempted murders of the Skripals is ongoing as detectives continue to assess all the evidence available• The possibility that the two investigations might be linked is clearly a key line of inquiry for police. However, it is important that the investigation is led by the evidence available and the facts alone• CT Police are keen to hear from anyone who may have information that could assist with this investigation and would urge anyone to help to contact them by calling 0800 789 321.“We will keep you updated as regularly as possible but please check our website – www.wiltshire.police.uk for the most up-to-date information.”