Human remains found in field as neighbour admits murder in Cambridgeshire case

A field in the Cambridgeshire village of Wimblington has yielded human remains as investigators pursue answers in the case of Julie Buckley, a 55-year-old woman who vanished at the end of January. Police said the remains were found following information provided by the legal team representing her alleged killer, Karl Hutchings, 48, who has admitted murdering Buckley. The body has not yet been formally identified, Fordham medical examiners will conduct a post-mortem next week, and the site will remain sealed as forensic work continues. Buckley’s family has been informed and is receiving support from specially trained officers.

Buckley was last seen alive on Jan. 28, captured on CCTV footage at a Budgens store in the nearby village of March as she bought groceries. Earlier, investigators had found blood around Buckley’s bungalow in Christchurch, near Wisbech, on Feb. 13, which forensic analysis linked to the missing woman. Detectives allege Hutchings killed Buckley between Jan. 20 and Jan. 31, then used her bank cards and sold some of her possessions. Hutchings was charged on Feb. 16 with murdering Buckley in that window. He appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on March 19 and pleaded not guilty; following a change of plea announced this week, he is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 24.

Investigators expanded searches to areas along the Sixteen Foot Bank drainage channel near Christchurch, including the Bedlam Bridge and Boots Bridge corridors, where dive teams scanned for Buckley’s body. A fisherman reported finding what appeared to be human hair in the water, but DNA testing reportedly showed the strand did not originate from Buckley. Police have stressed that the investigation remains active and that no final conclusions have been drawn about the location of Buckley’s remains.

Authorities have also appealed for information from Jan. 29 and 30 in the March and Christchurch areas, including dashcam footage, to help establish Buckley’s movements and the sequence of events leading to her death. In a public record of the case, Hutchings’s prior custody appearance included a photo in which he wore a mask reminiscent of the fictional cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lecter; police have not tied that imagery to the crime, but it has been noted in coverage.

DCI Richard Stott, who leads the inquiry, said Buckley’s family had been notified of the development and were receiving support. He said the discovery of human remains was a significant update and that investigators would pursue every avenue to determine how and where Buckley was killed, and to locate her body for a proper, respectful burial. “Julie’s family have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers,” he said. “I am pleased that Hutchings has acknowledged responsibility for what he has done, but the crucial next step is to locate Julie’s remains so she can be laid to rest with dignity.”

Two other people — a 49-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman, both from Christchurch — were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender and remain under investigation.

The case has drawn ongoing attention from local residents and national readers alike, as authorities emphasize the importance of public cooperation in locating Buckley’s body and closing the timeline around her disappearance. Police reiterated that there is no current risk to the public, but investigators asked anyone with relevant information, including dashcam footage from late January in the Christchurch and March areas, to come forward to assist with the investigation.