Death of woman found on disused railway line in Liverpool IS murder

Merseyside Police has launched a murder investigation into the death of Paula Hounslea following the discovery of her remains on the disused loopline railway on Saturday, 5 May 2012.

Officers were called to the loopline, near to its junction with Blackthorn Road, Fazakerley, following a call from a member of the public who had been walking his dog in the area.

The dog discovered bones that have since been identified as belonging to Ms Hounslea in what appears to have been an old fire pit on the embankment close to the railway line.

Ms Hounslea was 37 when she was reported missing from her home in West Derby on Saturday, 22 August, 2009.

She was last seen by her family after she was dropped off at their home following a family meal at a Chinese restaurant.

Detectives are trying to create a timeline of her movements and appeal to anyone who may have seen Ms Hounslea around the time she was reporting missing, or any time since, to call the Force Major Incident Room.

She is described as white, around 5 ft 8 ins tall, of medium build and had blonde or light brown shoulder-length hair.

When last seen she was wearing a grey jumper, with possibly a pink cardigan over the top, dark jeans and a gold Madonna pendant necklace. It is thought that she had three small bags of clothes with her.

Detective Chief Inspector Phil McEwan, who is leading the investigation, said: "This has clearly been devastating for Paula's family, who have been searching for her since August 2009, and hoping every day that she would come home. Our thoughts go out to them at this very difficult time.

"We are trying to piece together Paula's last movements and I would like to urge people to cast their minds back to August 22, 2009 and contact us if they believe they may have seen anyone matching Paula's description either on the day she disappeared or since. 

"We are also keen to hear from anyone who has seen suspicious activity in the area of the loopline that Paula was found from September 2011 onwards.

"The information, no matter how small, could be of vital help to this investigation and bring some peace to Paula's family."

Anyone with any information that could help this investigation is asked to call the Force Major Incident Room on 0151 777 8660, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.