Missing Woman Update: Body Of 47-Year-Old School Teacher In England Found In Local Cemetery

The body of missing mother-of-two Lindsay Birbeck is believed to have been discovered Saturday at a cemetery in Lancashire, England, though authorities have yet to make an official confirmation. Medical examiners say the cause of death was strangulation.

Birbeck, 47, originally went missing on Aug. 12 while on a walk. Her disappearance was described as “completely out of character” by her family and prompted a massive search effort from the Lancashire Police Department, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, Mountain Rescue and volunteers.

Her last confirmed sighting was on a CCTV camera as she walked in a nearby village.

Authorities said that they do not know how the body could have ended up at the cemetery or how long it had been there.

“This is causing her loved ones significant additional distress at what is clearly an extremely difficult time for them,” a spokesperson for Lancashire Police said.

Detective Superintendent Andy Cribbin added that there is “a team working around the clock to try and find out what has happened to Lindsay and to identify who has killed her.”

Lancashire Police have confirmed a murder probe has been launched into Birbeck’s death, but no arrests have been made. Locals will also be holding a walk to remember Birbeck on Thursday.

The disappearance of Birbeck, a teaching assistant, has garnered intense media coverage in England.