Police charge Croydon woman and Sutton man with murder after Sarah Mayhew’s remains found

Detectives investigating after human remains were found in a field in New Addington have named the man and woman charged with murder. Gemma Saundercock, 48, of Holmbury Grove, Croydon, and Steve Samson, 44, of Burnell Road, Sutton, have been charged with the murder of Sarah Mayhew, whose remains were found in Rowdowns Field, Croydon.

They will appear in custody at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, April 9, charged with murder and preventing the lawful and decent burial of a corpse. Samson was also charged with three counts of making indecent images of a child. These charges are unrelated to the crime investigation at this stage.

The family of Sarah, 38, who lived in Croydon, have been informed of the allegations and officers remain in close contact as they support them through this extremely difficult time. Chief Superintendent Andy Brittain, who leads policing in Croydon, said: “I would like to thank the detectives and officers of the Met Police whose expertise continues to enable this swift and thorough investigation.

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“The local community has also been very supportive during this time as officers carried out this vital work and we are very appreciative of their efforts. My sincere condolences go out to Sarah’s family and we will continue to support them as the investigation progresses.”

Met Police officers were alerted at 9am on Tuesday, April 2, when the first remains were discovered in the field off Lodge Lane. An interactive map of Rowdown Fields showed where specialist police teams were actively searching for evidence, along with the parts that had been cordoned off. Police based their operation from the car park accessed from Lodge Lane, close to the end of the roundabout which links to Kent Gate Way.

Coroners were at the scene on Wednesday morning (April 3) as evidence markers were placed in an area near bushes along the perimeter of the field. Police also used dogs in their efforts to comb the area on Thursday after Scotland Yard confirmed it had launched a murder investigation on Wednesday afternoon.

Anyone with information that could help the investigation and who has not yet spoken to police is asked to call 101, quoting reference 1656/02 Apr.

If you knew Sarah and would like to pay tribute to her, you can do so by emailing [email protected]