Third body found in Suffolk

Detectives investigating the murders of two prostitutes were facing up to the possibility last night that a serial killer is at large after the body of a third woman was found in woodland near Ipswich.

Earlier police had linked the deaths of Gemma Adams, 25, and Tania Nicol, 19, both of who were found naked, two miles apart, on the outskirts of Ipswich.

Yesterday afternoon a third body was discovered in woodland in Nacton, near Ipswich, by a woman walker, a few miles from the sites of the two other bodies.

Police said the body had yet to be identified and described the death only as "unexplained". It was too early to link the third death to the murders of Ms Adams and Ms Nicol, they added.

Sources, however, said the third dead woman was a prostitute aged in her 20s.

It is not known how long her body had been hidden in the wooded area.

Yesterday Detective Chief Inspector John Quinton said there were "striking similarities" between the deaths of Ms Nicol and Ms Adams.

Both had gone missing from the same red light area, both were found naked in the same stretch of water and both had similar post-mortem results.

Police are appealing for clients of the prostitutes to come forward. DCI Quinton said strict criteria were used to determine whether crimes were linked and in this case it appeared the same person or persons were involved in both deaths.

The post-mortems showed neither was sexually assaulted and there were no obvious signs of violence to either body, he added.