Body recovered from Northampton house has now been formally identified

Results of a post-mortem investigation have confirmed the identity of a man whose remains were found buried in the back garden of a Northampton home.

This means Northamptonshire Police can now formally name him as 42-year-old Nicholas Billingham.

The post-mortem has also identified Mr Billingham died as a result of a stab wound to the neck.

A 48-year-old Northampton woman was charged last Sunday (March 20) with his murder and appeared before the town’s magistrates court the following day (Monday, March 21).

Fiona Beal, of Moore Street, Kingsley, was remanded by Northampton magistrates to appear before a judge at Northampton Crown Court on Tuesday (March 22) and will next appear for a pre-trial hearing on Tuesday, April 19.

She is accused of killing 42-year-old Nicholas Billingham (pictured) sometime between October 30 and November 10 last year.

Beal was arrested at a hotel in Cumbria on Wednesday, March 16, leading police to the search of the Moore Street address.

Forensic officers and specialist search teams, including a cadaver dog, were deployed to the property in Moore Street last weekend and, following an extensive search, a body was discovered buried in the rear garden of the property last Saturday afternoon.

The body was transferred to Leicester Royal Infirmary where a Home Office pathologist conducted the post-mortem investigation.

An inquest will be held inactive while criminal proceedings are ongoing.

Police inquiries are continuing and anyone with any information about the case is asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 26 of March 16, 2022.