Body of 34-year-old mom of 2 found at bottom of cliff on tiny, remote island as man arrested on suspicion of murder
The body of Hannah Benfield was found in the water off Alderney, a tiny island of about three square miles, in the early hours of Monday, Sept. 28
NEED TO KNOW
- Police in Alderney, a small island between the U.K. and France, have arrested a 44-year-old man on suspicion of murder after a woman was found dead
- The body of 34-year-old Hannah Benfield, a mother of two, was found in the sea at the base of cliffs known by locals as The Guns in the early hours of Monday, Sept. 28
- The close-knit island community has been left “shaken” by the news as police support Benfield’s family and continue the investigation
Police have arrested a man on suspicion of murder after a mom of two was found dead off the coast of a small island between the U.K. and France.
The body of Hannah Benfield, 34, was found in the ocean at the base of cliffs known locally as The Guns in Alderney, one of the Channel Islands, in the early hours of Monday, Sept. 28, Guernsey Police said in a statement.
A 44-year-old man, who was initially receiving hospital treatment before being transferred into custody, was arrested on suspicion of murder.
The Channel Islands are a group of self-governing British island territories just off the French coast. They aren’t part of the U.K., but share close historic ties.
Police first received a report of an incident in Alderney at 11:04 p.m. local time on Sunday, Sept. 27, prompting a search-and-rescue operation.
At about 4:28 a.m. the following morning, Channel Islands Air Search volunteers noticed the body of Benfield, described by ITV as a mother of two, at the base of the cliffs.
A rescue operation involving local emergency services, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the French Coastguard took place, but she was confirmed dead.
Amid the ongoing investigation, officers asked people who might have dashcam footage from vehicles traveling in the area between 7:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. local time on Sunday, Sept. 27, to get in touch with them, in an additional statement.
However, police aren’t looking for additional suspects and don’t believe there is an ongoing risk to the community.
Officers said in a statement that specialist family liaison officers have been supporting Benfield’s family, adding that her loved ones have asked for privacy as they come to terms with her death.
The force expressed its condolences, adding, “Alderney is a small, close-knit community, and the impact of an incident of this nature on a community like that cannot be overstated.”
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A local priest, Mother Samantha Martell, told the BBC that the incident had “shaken” the community, which has a population of just over 2,000, and urged locals to “come together” and “look after one another.”
Stephen Bacon, a teacher at The Guernsey Institute, a local college, paid tribute to Benfield on Facebook, describing his former student as a “lovely-natured young lady” who left a “very fond impression” on those who taught her.
