TRIBUTES have been paid to a stalwart of the Cudworth community who was found dead last Friday night in what police are treating as a ‘suspicious incident’.
The woman, named locally as Debbie Neale, 60, is believed to have worked in and lived above the village’s post office, on Barnsley Road, which locals said has been run by her family ‘for years’.
Two men, aged 57 and 34, were arrested at the scene in connection with the death but were released on Monday pending further investigation.
Police confirmed they are treating the death as suspicious and a post-mortem on Ms Neale’s body proved inconclusive, officers said.
Detective Chief Inspector Simon Palmer, the officer in charge of the investigation, appealed to the public for any information which may help their enquiries.
“I am keen to hear from anyone who may have been in the area close to Cudworth Post Office on Friday evening,” he added.
“Did you see or hear anything? Have you got dash-cam footage that may help?
“I would also like to reassure the local community that there is no need for concern - the increased police presence can be disturbing but we don’t believe there to be any risk to those who live in the area.”
The shop reopened on Tuesday following the incident, which has seen locals leave condolence messages to Debbie and her family on social media this week.
Coun Charlie Wraith, who represents the Cudworth ward, said: “It’s not something you expect to happen in the community and my condolences go to Debbie’s family. I regularly go into the post office to keep trade within Cudworth and she was a familiar face there.”
One business owner, who did not wish to be named, told the Chronicle the death has ‘shocked the community’ and paid tribute to a ‘lovely woman’.
“Cudworth’s a tight-knit area as its businesses are predominantly on Barnsley Road so everyone knows everyone and it’s a friendly place,” they said.
“To say this has shocked the community is an understatement - I arrived to open up my shop the morning after at about 7.30am and the centre of the village was full of police.
“Officers came into my shop on Saturday to explain why there was an increased police presence but they were obviously tight-lipped about the full details. They confirmed a serious incident had taken place but it quickly became clear that Debbie had died.
“My heart goes out to her family. She was a lovely woman, a familiar face who was well-known in Cudworth because her family’s run the shop for years. She was always polite and cheerful.
“My heart sank when I read that police were treating her death as suspicious.”
If you have any information that may help, call 101 quoting incident 1102 of April 19.
