DIVERS have been searching a drain in a “no body” murder probe after a woman went missing from a sleepy village.
Julie Buckley, 54, from Christchurch near March, Cambridgeshire, has not been seen since late January.
Detectives said they were concerned enough about Julie’s welfare to treat her disappearance as a murder.
A 47-year-old man, from Christchurch, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in custody.
Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit declared the case a “no-body” murder investigation on Friday.
They have been carrying out inquiries into Julie’s disappearance “but so far to no avail”.
Two bungalows eight miles apart were sealed off in connection with the investigation.
Detective Inspector Richard Stott said: “We are trying to piece together Julie’s movements before she disappeared so I would appeal for anyone who has seen her in the past few weeks to get in touch.
“We know she has links to places in the surrounding area including March, Manea, and Chatteris so I would urge people who live in those areas to consider if they have information that could be of use to our inquiry.
“We are in touch with family of Julie and specially trained officers are keeping them up to date on the police inquiry at this very difficult time.
“Although we have always wanted to find Julie alive, the circumstances suggest she is likely to have come to serious harm, so we continue to treat her disappearance as murder.”
