Woman Found Dead Hours After She Was At Pub With Friends, Man Arrested

A 44-year-old suspect was arrested after a woman was found dead in a lane near a fire station in Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire, on Saturday morning.

The body of Sara Hopkins, 25, was found around 8 a.m. and the police were called to the scene.

Hours before her death, Hopkins visited The Drum and Monkey pub with her friends. "Caz and Gordy cheering me up after a s---t week, I have the best friends," she had posted on Facebook.

"Our enquiries are very much in their early stages and at this stage the woman’s death is being treated as suspicious," Detective Inspector Jim Bayliss, from West Mercia Police, said. Extra officers were also assigned to the area. Locals left floral tributes at the scene.

Hopkins had a degree in accounting and was working as a Planning Expeditor for door supplier Permadoor. She had previously worked at the Plough Inn.

54-year-old Martin Haste, the ex-boyfriend of Hopkins, was "absolutely devastated" by the news of her death. "It’s such a shock," he told The Sun Online. "We split up three months ago but stayed good friends."

Hopkins' best friend, Holly Barrett, posted a heartbreaking message on Facebook. "Today it's really sunk in that you're not here anymore and I can't get over the fact that you're gone. You were my best friend during high school and carried on making me laugh and smile into our twenties," she wrote. "You had my back when not many others did and I'll always be grateful for the time that we spent together."