UK - Mystery of fire pit mum: strange case of Fazakerley, Liverpool, remains

Human remains found near a disused railway line in Liverpool are those of a woman who disappeared from home three years ago, police have said.

Paula Hounslea, then 37, from West Derby, was last seen by her family when they went for a meal on 22 August 2009.

Her remains - which had burn marks - were found in a disused fire pit next to the Liverpool Loopline in Fazakerley on 5 May.

Merseyside Police said her death was being treated as unexplained.

Forensic tests have revealed her body was placed in the pit some time between last Autumn and the start of the year.
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On Saturday August 22, 2009, Paula, her brother and two sisters met for a meal at a Chinese restaurant for Moira’s birthday. The family dropped her at her home in Liverpool.

The following morning she went into her teenage daughter Lois’s bedroom to tell her she was going to “stay with a friend” for a few days.

She never turned up. There were cash withdrawals from her bank account in the first 10 days after she went missing but there have been no leads since. Paula had texted her friend to say she “needed to go away for a few days” but was never seen again.
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• Paula Hounslea vanished in 2009 after birthday meal
• Remains found 12ft down embankment in a fire pit
• Discovered last week, three days after her parents made public appeal for information
• Detectives treat death as 'unexplained' and refuse to rule out foul play
• Tests show body could have been set on fire on site
• Officers probe suspicious fire in the area in last year

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Tests on human remains have confirmed a mum missing for close to three years was killed.

Over the past fortnight, police have tried to establish if Paula Hounslea, found on Liverpool’s disused loop line railway, was murdered.
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Her body was unearthed in a fire pit close to an old embankment, and detectives considered if someone attempted to set fire to her close to that scene.

The possibility remains Ms Hounslea was murdered elsewhere, and moved to the railway line.
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Further mysteries include her cash card being used to withdraw money within the next ten days, a disconnected phone call to a friend, and an attempt to book a hotel room where she never arrived.

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The 21 year-old daughter of a woman whose charred bones were found three years after she vanished has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Lois Hounslea was arrested by detectives investigating the death of Paula Hounslea who disappeared after celebrating the birthday of her mum, Moira, in August 2009.

The former Broughton High School pupil was nicknamed "Loey" by her mum and made a tearful appeal for her return last Christmas.

She said: "It is the only present I want, that any of us want."

It is a dramatic twist in a three year investigation to find out what happened to Paula Hounslea after she allegedly told Lois she was going to stay with a friend.

Police have also confirmed that a 20 year-old man is being quizzed on suspicion of murder.
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Angels_Not_Forgotten said:

Wfgodot, they mention the possibility that the remains were moved there, do you feel like she was alive for a while or maybe that she was killed and put elsewhere for a while before moving them to the fire pit? Going back now to reread all the articles (probably should have done that first) and see if I can find anything out. Very strange case indeed! I am not familiar with this story, do you know if the police had suspected the daughter for a while or if this was some new sort of break through?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

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