Mark Nicholls: Man charged with murder of missing woman Emily Sanderson who was found dead in Hillsborough

Emily Sanderson’s body was found inside a property on Crofton Avenue, Hillsborough, last Tuesday, May 30, at around midday. The 50-year-old had been reported missing the previous Thursday, May 25, having not been seen or heard from since Friday, May 19, when she attended a family funeral.

South Yorkshire Police today announced that Mark Nicholls, aged 43, of Crofton Avenue, Hillsborough, had been charged with her murder. The force said Nicholls, who was arrested on Friday and charged yesterday, Saturday, June 3, had been remanded in custody and would appear at court tomorrow, Monday, June 5.

A forensic post mortem examination determined Ms Sanderson had died of head injuries. A 40-year-old woman, arrested on Wednesday, May 31, on suspicion of assisting offenders, remains on police bail.

South Yorkshire Police did not publish a missing persons appeal in the five days between her being reported on May 25 and the discovery of her body on May 30. It has made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

It is not known at what stage, between her body being discovered on Tuesday and police naming her three days later on Friday, officers had positively identified Ms Sanderson.

Speaking on Friday, Detective Chief Inspector Andrea Bowell said the property where Ms Sanderson was found had undergone ‘painstaking and extensive forensic examination’, which she said was necessary to ‘gather as much evidence as possible to help us understand exactly what happened’.