Balloon release to be held after death of 24-year-old Doncaster woman
A balloon release is to be held in memory of a 24-year-old Doncaster woman following her tragic death.
The body of Lacey Lake was found in a village near Plymouth earlier this month following a police manhunt – with a huge fundraising campaign launched to help bring Lacey home to South Yorkshire. Friends and family will gather at Arksey Cemetery on February 3 at the side of Lacey’s mother’s grave to pay tributes and release balloons.
The gathering will begin at 2pm with the release at 2.30pm – and everyone is welcome to pay their respects.
Nearly £5,000 has been raised via a GoFundMe page, which you can donate to HERE
Lacey was last seen getting into a grey Mercedes taxi in Plymouth, sparking a huge hunt from Devon and Cornwall Police.
After being reported missing by a friend on January 6, she was found dead in the village of Tamerton Foliot the following day.
Devon and Cornwall Police are now set to investigate themselves following 'prior police contact' with Lacey, whose body was found in a caravan.
She was deemed a medium risk by the force and a public appeal was not made through the media.
Earlier this month, a Devon and Cornwall Police spokesperson said “At around 1.20pm on January 7, officers were called to reports of concern for the welfare of a woman in Linton Close.
"Paramedics also attended but the woman was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. Her death is currently being treated as unexplained, although it is not believed to be suspicious.”
Lacey's family later confirmed "with a broken heart" that the body found was hers.
In a statement on Facebook, her aunt Sara French wrote: "It is with a broken heart I need to inform my friends and family Lacey Lake has sadly passed away.
"Thank you to everyone for the kind words and I know this is a shock to everyone but can people please respect our family right now as we have a lot of questions and we are all heartbroken and our privacy needs to be respected and we need to get her back home.
"Lacey you was loved beyond words and I don’t no how we are ever going to get past this I just hope your at peace with your mum.
"Love you always our mini xxxx."
In an earlier post on Facebook, Morgan Hennessy Kelly pleaded for help finding Lacey, who was a Type 1 diabetic and had no insulin with her at the time of her disappearance.
She added that Lacey's phone had been on since her disappearance but no contact had been made.
A file is being prepared for HM Coroner and an investigation will take place into the circumstances surrounding her death.
Devon and Cornwall Police made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) on January 8, but did not confirm it to the media until January 10.
They stated that the mandatory referral was made "due to prior police contact with the deceased woman. We await the outcome of the referral."
An IOPC spokesperson said: "We have assessed a referral from Devon and Cornwall Police concerning the search for a woman reported missing whose body was found on 7 January.
"We have advised the force that an investigation is required, and that it can be carried out by their professional standards department rather than the IOPC."