After 6yrs of pain, how discovery of mum Joanne Sheen’s body in scorched wood 50 miles away has blown mystery wide open

NEARLY seven years have gone by since mum-of-three Joanne Sheen was last seen alive, her fate seemingly sealed behind a wall of silence. Despite a murder investigation that pursued more than 4,000 lines of enquiry and took more than 300 statements, no body was ever found, and despite some arrests no one was ever charged. Joanne Sheen was last seen in December 2019 Credit: Hampshire Police With leads dwindling, it seemed the truth about what happened to the 44-year-old from Southampton would stay hidden forever. But the case was turned on its head on Thursday this week after police confirmed that bones exposed by a wildfire last August in Feltham, west London, belonged to Joanne. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The race is now on to explain once and for all exactly what happened to Joanne – and how she ended up more than 50 miles from where she went missing, on a patch of scrubland not far from Heathrow airport. The same day her remains were identified Hampshire Police arrested a 56-year-old man at an address in Southampton on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. He has since been released on bail. It is the first arrest in relation to Joannne’s disappearance since November 2020, when three men aged 50, 63 and 29, and a woman aged 30, were held then later released. Police have also now confirmed that at least one other suspect is under investigation, while Crimestoppers are offering a £20,000 reward for information. Joanne – affectionately known as “Little Jo” or “Jo Jo” because of her 5ft 1in stature – was last seen on December 5, 2019, travelling from Fareham to Southampton with a friend. It would be a few months later, on February 22 2020, that she would be reported missing by her family. Most read in The Sun It was not out of character for Joanne to be out of contact for periods of time, according to her best friend Rachel Roussel, 27, but had gone “off grid” by the time of her disappearance. “She was just magnetic, she had such an amazing personality, and she was an amazing mum – those girls of hers were her top priority, she adored them and they adored her,” she said. Rachel met Jo as part of a group of mums in Southampton back in 2003 – and the friends would regularly do their shopping together, go over to each other’s houses and give each other advice. She said: “It wasn’t unlike her to not be in contact for a little while, she was terrible at keeping hold of mobile phones. Police launched a murder investigation in November 2020 Credit: Hampshire Police A wildfire in August exposed the remains in Feltham Credit: PA “You’d never be able to text her and just say ‘do you fancy meeting up’. “If she had a phone and I was on Facebook Messenger and I’d see she was online and active I’d message her, sometimes she’d reply, sometimes she wouldn’t. “You kind of got used to it being like that, but then she just went off-grid completely.” Rachel said Jo would sometimes turn up at the homes of friends and family as if ‘nothing had happened’ . But after nobody had heard from her for months her family raised the alarm with the police. After nearly two months of enquiries without any luck, on April 17 2020 Hampshire Police appealed to the public to help locate Joanne. Tracking her proved especially difficult since she lacked a permanent address or bank account. That summer officers began searching areas around Empress Road and the banks of the nearby River Itchen, an industrial area to the north of the city centre. Throughout this time, friends and family were making their own enquiries, searching far and wide for Joanne or any evidence of her whereabouts. For some, the thought lingered that she may have left Southampton completely to start a new life. Speaking to the Southampton Daily Echo shortly after her remains were identified this week, her brother Ray, 49, said the last seven years have been “horrible”. He said: “I was devastated to hear that she’s no longer with us, and also relieved we aren’t left wondering forever if she ran off and started a fresh life. Family and friends became concerned after she had gone “off-grid” for months Credit: Hampshire Police A handbag and shoes were found at Mayflower Park in Southampton Credit: Alamy “It’s been horrible. For the first two years myself and my sister Natalie would go out driving around night after night searching for her. “We travelled all over the place, even to Bournemouth, aimlessly searching into the early hours most nights.” In November 2020, however, police would reclassify the investigation as a murder inquiry, nearly a near after she was last sighted. That same month police arrested three individuals on suspicion of conspiracy to murder: a 50 year old man from Southampton, a 63 year old man also from Southampton, and a 29 year old man from Basingstoke. A woman, 30, from Southampton was also later arrested. All were later released from custody. In September 2021, Joanne’s daughters Hayley and Layla led a walk of around 30 people in tribute to their missing mum, releasing balloons and casting flowers into the River Itchen. Layla, then 23, said at the time: “The response that we’ve had from friends and family has been quite overwhelming because there are a lot of people just like us that are confused and don’t know where she’s gone. “It’s crazy that she’s not here with us right now and there’s no explanation as to why. Searches would continue over the next few years but those looking for answers were still left wanting. That includes the August 2022 discovery of a handbag and pair of trainers under a pier at Mayflower Park which were recovered for forensic examination. Police then even went as far to deploy marine units in the Solent, though nothing of significance was found. In December 2023 officers searched an address on Parsonage Road, in the Northam area of Southampton, stating that they were searching for anything that may assist their enquiries – including “possessions” or “any evidence of a body”. Police in Southampton had previously searched a number of properties Credit: PA A 56-year-old-man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder on September 17 Credit: PA The next major public development would come in February 2025 when police cordoned off two neighbouring properties in Union Road, one street over from Parsonage Road, with forensic officers taking part in the search. But there would be no breakthrough and as the investigation entered its sixth year, police once again made an appeal to the public for information. That all changed in August when a wildfire spread through an area of woodland near Padstow Walk in Feltham, west London. A few days later, on August 12, a member of the public spotted remains and alerted the police. Following extensive DNA and forensic testing, police confirmed on Thursday September 17 that they belonged to Joanna, handing the investigation over to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary. It remains unclear if Joanne had any prior connection to Feltham, and police are urging anyone with information to come forward. Comment now