After an investigation that lasted over three and a half months, police confirmed the death of local wife and missing mother of two. Gillian Merrick was found on the afternoon of Tuesday 17th March, only 3 miles from her home where she was last sighted on 2nd January. The body initially underwent forensic tests to confirm the identity of Mrs. Merrick, and aftewards a post-mortem examination was carried out. This examination revealed that no one else was involved in Mrs. Merrick’s death; however the cause of death is still unknown and was not discovered from the post-mortem. A police spokesman has said that the circumstances concerning her death are not being treated as suspicious.

Mrs. Merrick’s body was found by people from the Environment Agency, who quickly contacted police officials. They returned with a boat and a dive team in order to retrieve the body. This was witnessed by two local anglers, Steve Nelson and Brian Pitts aged 45 and 67 respectively, who watched the events unfold. The operation to retrieve the body is reported to have taken over three hours after which it was removed to a tent that had recently been erected by the on-site police.

The news of the discovery of Mrs. Merrick’s body quickly spread around Oundle and was met with shock and relief. Local residents have been heavily involved in the search for Gillian along with her colleagues, who joinied the searches that took part in the weeks following her disappearance. This was followed by a further 888 people who showed their support by joining a group on the social networking site Facebook entitled “Find Gillian.” A neighbour of the Merricks who lives in Sutton Close echoed the feeling of the town by saying “I feel so sorry for the children, but I am relieved her body has been found so they can deal with it.” Another Oundle resident said that she felt “relief that she has been found, but also sadness for Gillian.”

Mrs Merrick would have celebrated her 46th birthday on February 23rd.Mr Merrick said that they went to a favourite spot: “We read each other’s cards and watched the sun go down. We had a lovely time and felt very close to Gill. It was nice sharing that experience with each other.”

A funeral for Gillian was held on 8th April at St. Peter’s Church, followed by a cremation at Peterborough Cremetorium and a small wake at the family home. Mr Merrick delivered a touching tribute to his wife leaving many mourners in tears. In his tribute Mr Merrick spoke about the “little things” about Gillian while he thanked his wife for his two children, the greatest gift she ever gave him.

Speaking for the first time since the discovery of his wife’s body, Mr Merrick said how grateful he was for the support of the entire town. He said that the family had received cards and e-mails of support, many from complete strangers: “it makes you realise there is a lot of good human spirit in the world.”