A woman's body was found on Sunday in a field between Hassocks and Burgess Hill as a search continued for a mother-of-two who was reported missing a week earlier, friends and local volunteers said.
A farmer discovered the body after bringing his sheep into a private field a short walk from the Ockley Park estate, where 38-year-old Rebecca Holdham was last seen at about 10 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 7. Police erected a tent at the scene in the field, which is overlooked by a windmill and does not have a public footpath.
Holdham, known to family and friends as Becky, was reported missing after her children returned home on Sept. 7 to find the house empty, prompting an extensive local search. The operation deployed police dogs, drones and a helicopter and drew dozens of residents who trawled nearby fields and woodlands and distributed missing-person posters across businesses in the area.
Posters circulated by volunteers described the missing woman as slim and about 5ft 4in tall, with shoulder-length brown hair and a tattoo on her ankle. The notices said Holdham had links to Burgess Hill, Horsham, Worthing, Devon and Dorset. A call to form a large search group was organised by Holdham’s friend Kerry Malby, who had urged locals to sweep Hassocks and surrounding villages.
"She's a devoted mum and this is completely out of character. She wouldn't just leave her children," Malby said in a statement to local media. "We can't understand it. In a very short space of time, she has just completely vanished. We've no idea if she left of her own accord or if she's been taken. People can't just vanish into thin air."
Friends and neighbours said they were in shock after the discovery. Volunteers had spent days posting flyers and examining the countryside, and the search group had planned further sweeps on the Monday following Holdham's disappearance.
Police have not publicly released details about the identity of the woman found or the cause of death. Officers remained at the scene on Sunday and inquiries were under way. Forensic teams typically examine such scenes and formal identification and post-mortem examinations are used to establish the cause of death and confirm identity.
The discovery came seven days after Holdham was last seen in the Ockley Park estate near the village of Hassocks. The incident has drawn significant local attention, with residents aiding the search and sharing information on social media and via posters.
Sussex police have previously appealed for anyone with information relating to Holdham’s movements on Sept. 7 to come forward. Local organisers and friends have said they want clarity for the missing woman’s two children and the community, which has been engaged in the search effort throughout the week.
Inquiries remain ongoing and police asked anyone with information about the case or who was in the area between Hassocks and Burgess Hill last Sunday to contact them.