A woman has been arrested over the murder of a 23-year-old university graduate whose body was found in a burning car.
Catherine Wells-Burr was discovered in her red Ford Focus at the side of a road near Ilminster in Somerset.
A 32-year-old woman was arrested last night on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody. Two men also arrested have been eliminated from the inquiry.
Avon and Somerset detectives say they are investigating whether the Bath Spa University graduate knew her killer and may even have arranged to meet up prior to her “brutal” death.
Detective Chief Inspector Simon Crisp, who is leading the investigation, said: “Did she know her killer is the question that we’re asking ourselves. Did she arrange to meet somebody at the location where she met her death?
“At this moment there is not a specific person we are looking for. We are working on the theory that she possibly knew the attacker. ”
At a press conference he said officers were trying to build up a picture of Miss Wells-Burr’s social life and appealed for information.
A postmortem examination was taking place today. Detectives were not able to confirm whether she died before or after the fire. Firefighters were called to the blazing car, off the A358 in Ashill, shortly before 6.30am on Wednesday. They discovered Miss Wells-Burr’s body inside the wreckage.
On August 25, she updated the cover photo on her Facebook profile with a picture of a woman covering her face with a book and a message saying: “You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one.”
Tributes were paid to Miss Wells-Burr, who lived in Chard, Somerset, with her family and achieved a first-class degree in business management.
Maurice Hicks, headteacher of Holyrood Academy in Chard where Miss Wells-Burr was a former pupil, spoke of his shock at the news, saying: “She is warmly remembered as a very friendly young person, gregarious and with a great sense of humour.”
Miss Wells-Burr worked as a business analyst for Numatic International Ltd, which makes Henry vacuum cleaners.
