Body Recovered from Deneholes in Hangman’s Woods, Essex

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Details

Police have confirmed the discovery of a body within the historic deneholes at Hangman’s Woods following a large-scale recovery operation involving specialist teams.

Essex Police were called shortly after 2:05pm on Tuesday, following a report from a member of the public who believed they had seen a body in the deneholes — a network of deep chalk shafts and tunnels — off Stanford Road.

Detective Inspector Lydia George, who is leading the investigation, said:

“Utilising specialist equipment and skills and working with our partners, we recovered a body yesterday.
Work is underway to establish who they are and the circumstances around how they came to be in the deneholes and how they died.
I want to thank the community around this area for their support, particularly local businesses who kindly provided refreshments.
We will provide further information as and when we are able to.”

The discovery has prompted a detailed forensic and archaeological response due to the challenging terrain and the historical nature of the deneholes. The site is known locally for its ancient subterranean structure and has previously drawn interest from urban explorers and historians.

The identity of the deceased has not yet been confirmed, and the area remains cordoned off while police and forensic teams continue their investigation.

Authorities are appealing to anyone with information that may assist the inquiry to come forward. Essex Police can be contacted on 101, quoting incident number to be confirmed, or information can be reported anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.