A man has been charged with the murder of a missing woman who is feared dead as police search for her body. Julie Buckley, 54, disappeared from Christchurch in late January. Cambridgeshire Police said officers ‘have always aimed to find her alive, but evidence suggests she has come to serious harm’. The case was declared a no-body murder investigation on Friday. Karl Hutchings, 47, of Christchurch, has been charged with Ms Buckley’s murder.
![[Two bungalows sealed off in ???no-body??? Cambridgeshire murder probe. Two bungalows ??? eight miles apart ??? have been sealed off by Cambridgeshire police after launching a murder probe. Detectives from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit declared the case a ???no-body??? murder investigation on Friday. Detective Inspector Richard Stott said: ???Concern was raised for the woman last night (Thursday) and due to the length of time since she was last seen and concerns that she may have come to some harm, we are treating this as a murder investigation.??? , Christchurch Saturday 15 February 2025. Picture by Terry Harris.]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SEI_239989620-22f1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Detective Inspector Richard Stott said police have continued trying to trace Ms Buckley’s movements before she disappeared and appealed for anyone who has seen her in the past few weeks to get in touch. ‘We know she has links to places in the surrounding area including March, Manea and Chatteris so I would urge people who live in those areas to consider if they have information that could be of use to our inquiry,’ he said.
‘We are in touch with family of Julie and specially trained officers are keeping them up to date on the police inquiry at this very difficult time.’. A court officer said Hutchings appeared before Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Monday and is due to appear before Cambridge Crown Court on Wednesday. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.
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