In a heartbreaking update, police searching for a missing woman have discovered a body in woodland.

The body was found in East Suffolk on Monday, 24 November, during the search for Christine Murton, a 78 year old woman from Rushmere St Andrew who had been reported missing since Wednesday, 12 November.

It is believed that she left her home that morning. The body, which was found near Stratton Hall in Levington, has not yet been identified, but Christine’s family has been informed of the discovery.

A file is being prepared for the coroner to formally identify the body. Police have stated that the death is not being treated as suspicious.

The search for Christine was expanded on 22 November, with CCTV footage released showing her a few streets away from her home on Chatsworth Drive at around 10:40 am. Further CCTV footage released on 19 November showed Christine walking along a footpath on the edge of Nacton village, heading towards Decoy Wood shortly after 2:45 pm on the day she disappeared.

Her car, a blue Toyota Yaris, was later found in a retail park car park in the Pinewood area on Thursday, 20 November. A spokesperson for Suffolk Police said: “Police searching for missing Rushmere St Andrew woman Christine Murton have found a body.”

“Christine, aged 78, is believed to have left her house in the morning of Wednesday 12 November and was reported as missing that evening.

“The body of a woman was discovered this afternoon, Monday 24 November, in woodland close to Stratton Hall, near Levington.

“The death is being treated as unexplained but there are not currently believed to be any suspicious circumstances.

“Formal identification procedures have not yet taken place but Christine’s family have been informed and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”