Police continue to question man in Kingsbridge murder investigation

Detectives investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a woman on the A379 near Kingsbridge are continuing to hold a man for questioning.

Police were contacted at around 4.45am on Wednesday 23 April and were notified of what was initially reported to be a serious collision involving a pedestrian on the A379, Embankment Road, at New Bridge, Kingsbridge. 

Emergency services attended the incident.

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 road closure was put in place while officers from the Roads Policing Team carried out an examination of the scene. This remained in place for much of the day, with the road reopening soon after 11pm.

A man in his 50s has been interviewed under caution as a voluntary attender on suspicion of causing death by careless driving and has been released under investigation.

A man in his 30s from the Kingsbridge area has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He remains in police custody.

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

DI Biggar added: “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.”

If you witnessed the incident or have any information or dashcam footage that could help with enquiries, please contact police via our website here or by calling 101 quoting reference number 50250099726.

Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling freephone 0800 555111.

Main image: A379 crosses New Bridge over Bowcombe Creek - credit Stuart Logan