Northampton bath death of Rhonda Anderson now treated as murder

The case of a woman found dead in her bathtub 25 years ago is now being treated as murder.

Rhonda Anderson, 29, died at her home in Northampton on 8 July 2000, with her death ruled as accidental by a coroner.

At the time, it was reported that she had been electrocuted after a radio fell into the bath.

Northamptonshire Police said: “New information has come to light this summer which has prompted us to re-examine what happened to Rhonda, and a formal murder investigation is now under way.”

Officers from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit Major Crime Team are now re-examining the case.

Det Ch Insp Torie Harrison appealed to anyone who may have relevant information, or who knew Rhonda at the time, to contact them.

She said they wanted to hear from “anyone that knew of her relationships, or any concerns she may have had”.

Det Ch Insp Harrison added: “A significant amount of time has passed since Rhonda’s death, but I am hopeful that anyone who may have any information about her life or what may have happened to her will still have clear memories they can share with us.

“It doesn’t matter how insignificant you think the information you recollect is, we want to hear from you as we explore the circumstances of what happened.”

She urged people to get in touch, even if they had since moved away from the area.

“A 29-year-old female has lost her life and we are treating it as a homicide.

“Twenty five years is a long time, if someone has been out and responsible for this death.

“Any piece of information, no matter how small, that might point us in the direction of who might be responsible for this death, is going to be really important.”

“This development has obviously come as a huge shock for Rhonda’s family who are being supported by specially trained officers and have asked for privacy at this difficult time,” she added.