Boy, 16, Arrested For Murder Of Teaching Assistant Found Dead In Cemetery

28 August 2019, 13:43 | Updated: 28 August 2019, 17:08

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a teaching assistant was found dead in a graveyard.

The body of Lindsay Birbeck, 47, was discovered in Accrington Cemetery by a member of the public at around 8pm on Saturday.

Lancashire Police confirmed the teenager from Accrington had been taken into custody this morning.

A post mortem confirmed she died as a result of strangulation.

Detective Superintendent Andy Cribbin from the major crime team said: "The response to our earlier appeal has been absolutely overwhelming and I would like to thank everyone who has come forward with information.

"While we have made an arrest our inquiries are very much continuing and I would continue to appeal for anyone with information to come forward.

"However, I would urge people not to speculate and to be mindful of the comments they make, especially on social media, as this causes distress to the family and could impact on our investigation."

Ms Birbeck's disappearance sparked a huge manhunt after she went missing on 12th August.

She was last seen alive at around 4pm in her home village of Huncoat, around 2 miles away from where her body was found.

On Tuesday, police released CCTV images of a suspect walking along Burnley Road towards Accrington with a blue wheelie bin at about 2.30pm on August 17.

A bin similar to the one seen in the images was found near the scene of Ms Birbeck's body, police said.