A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his wife with a “bladed weapon” following an early morning incident at a Lidl carpark in Birmingham.
West Midlands Police arrested a 42-year-old man around 5am on Monday after his wife’s body was found on Mackadown Lane, Tile Cross.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Joyce said officers “traced” a vehicle to the car park around 4.45am and “found a man and a woman inside”.
“Tragically the woman was pronounced dead at the scene and the man was arrested on suspicion of her murder. While her identity is yet to be confirmed, at this stage we believe her to be the arrested man’s wife,” he said.
Joyce said the woman’s family had been notified of her death and were being supported by trained officers.
A post mortem examination is yet to take place to determine how the woman died, but Joyce said “early indications suggest the woman had been attacked with a bladed weapon”.
The car park has been cordoned off while forensic experts examine the scene and police are also searching the couple’s home and securing available CCTV footage. The Lidl store will remain closed for the duration of the day, police said.
Officers will also be speaking to the couple’s neighbours, “while work is also underway to establish if the man and woman had any previous contact with West Midlands Police”.
“I’d like to extend my deepest sympathies to the woman’s family and reassure them that we are doing absolutely everything we can to provide them with the answers they so desperately need,” Joyce added.
Anyone with information which may help the inquiry should call police on 101. People who don’t want to speak to police officers directly can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.