Man Rearrested in Connection with 2019 Disappearance of Mother-of-Three
Human remains identified as Joanne Sheen were discovered nearly seven years after she was last seen.
A 56-year-old man has been rearrested in connection with the 2019 disappearance of Joanne Sheen, whose identified human remains were discovered in London last week. The man, from Southampton, was initially arrested in 2020 on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and has now been rearrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and murder.
Sheen, then 44, was last seen traveling from Fareham to Southampton on December 5, 2019. Her family reported her missing in February 2020. The Metropolitan Police launched a large investigation, with over 4,000 lines of inquiry and more than 300 statements taken. Searches were conducted at over 10 addresses, and numerous vessels were utilized.
In 2020, several arrests were made on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, but no charges were filed, and the case remained unsolved. At the time, officers stated that Sheen had no fixed address and did not own a vehicle or hold a bank account.
The investigation took a new turn on August 12, when officers were called to Padstow Walk in Feltham, London, after bones were discovered in shrubland damaged by a fire the previous week. The London Fire Brigade had attended a fire at Bedfont Pits on August 5 that damaged approximately two hectares of shrubland.
Human remains were found by a member of the public at the site near Bedfont Lakes Country Park on August 19. Detectives in London handed the investigation over to Hampshire Police after the remains were identified as those of Sheen.
Another 56-year-old man, also from Southampton, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and has been released on bail. The first man arrested has been released on conditional bail.