Police refer themselves to watchdog following death of Doncaster woman

Devon and Cornwall Police has confirmed they have made a mandatory referral to police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct, explaining there had been "prior police contact" with Lacey Lake, whose body was found in a caravan near Plymouth earlier this month.

The 24-year-old was reported missing late on January 6 but was deemed a medium risk by the force.

A search of a caravan on the afternoon of January 7 at the rear of Linton Close resulted in police and paramedics being called to the scene.

Later police released a statement saying they were called at around 1.20pm following "concerns for the welfare of a woman" at that location.

The statement went on to say paramedics pronounced the woman deceased and her death was being treated as "unexplained although not currently believed suspicious".

The force added: "The family of 24-year-old Lacey Lake who was reported missing on Monday 6 January have been informed. Formal identification has yet to be carried out."

This afternoon the force stated: "As the death is currently being treated as non-suspicious we will not be releasing anything further at this time. A file is being prepared for HM Coroner.

"Devon and Cornwall Police has made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct [IOPC] due to prior police contact with the deceased woman. We await the outcome of the referral."

According to the IOPC website: "A death or serious injury, which may have occurred as a result of police contact, is one of the mandatory referral criteria. A DSI cannot be referred voluntarily.

"The definition of a DSI does not require there to be a dead body. The requirement is for the person to have died."

Last week, the heartbroken Doncaster family of Lacey said they have “a lot of questions” about her death – as an appeal was launched to return her body to South Yorkshire.

Lacey was last seen getting into a grey Mercedes taxi in Plymouth, sparking a huge hunt from Devon and Cornwall Police.

Lacey, originally from Doncaster, was found dead in the village of Tamerton Foliot near Plymouth.

Lacey's family 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 and her body was found yesterday.

"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.

An appeal has now been launched to return Lacey’s body to Doncaster so she can be buried alongside her mum.

GoFundMe organiser Lisa Gray said: “We are putting up this GoFundMe to help my friend Sara and her family to get her niece Lacey back home to Doncaster so she can be laid to rest with her mum who sadly passed away when Lacey was only a very young girl.

"Her body has sadly been found after being reported missing down Plymouth where she lived.

"She needs to come home back to Doncaster to be laid to rest in the arms of her mum Samantha who sadly died when the children were only very young.

"The cost alone to get her body back to Doncaster isn’t going to be cheap and also to make arrangements for her funeral.”

More than £4,600 has already been raised for the appeal and you can donate to the funding drive HERE