Man held as police investigate 22-year-old woman's death

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a woman near Kingsbridge.

Police were called at around 4:45pm on Wednesday to reports of a serious incident involving a pedestrian on the A379, Embankment Road, at New Bridge.

The pedestrian, a 22-year-old woman, was seriously injured. Despite the efforts of paramedics, she was pronounced deceased at the scene. Her next of kin have been informed.

A section of the road was closed for much of the day while specialist officers examined the scene. It reopened shortly after 11pm. 

A man in his 30s from the Kingsbridge area remains in custody. A second man, in his 50s, was interviewed under caution on suspicion of causing death by careless driving and has been released under investigation.

Detectives say they are pursuing several lines of enquiry. One possibility is that the woman may have been struck by a vehicle, though other scenarios are being considered.

Det Insp Guy Biggar, who is leading the investigation, said: “Our thoughts are with the victim’s family at this very difficult time.

“We have a number of lines of enquiry as we try to establish the full circumstances surrounding the death, with one avenue being that she may have been hit by a vehicle, but we are also considering other possibilities.

“The closure of the A379 remained in place until late into the evening on Wednesday. We would like to thank the public for their patience during the road closure, which we appreciate caused significant disruption in the area.

“Unfortunately, a further road closure was necessary this afternoon, Thursday 24 April, as enquiries are continuing. It has since been reopened.

“We are continuing to call for anyone with any information or any dashcam footage to come forward as we investigate the circumstances surrounding this death.”

Police are urging anyone with information to get in touch via the force website or by calling 101, quoting reference 50250099726.

Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555111 or online at Crimestoppers-uk.org.