Woman exposed to nerve agent in southern England dies; police launch murder investigation

Washington Post ^ | July 8, 2018 | WIlliam Booth

[BenLurkin]

LONDON — A middle-aged British woman, who somehow came into contact with the Soviet-era nerve agent known as Novichok, died Sunday evening at a hospital in south England where she was being treated for exposure to the military-grade chemical weapon.

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was “appalled and shocked by the death,” and announced that it is now being investigated as a murder.

Dawn Sturgess, 44, was one of five people who became seriously ill after being exposed to the nerve agent in the Salisbury area.

...

Sturgess lived in a supported-living facility that helps residents struggling with alcohol or drug addiction. Police said she was exposed to the chemical last weekend, absorbing it through her hands. She survived for eight days.

Her boyfriend, Charlie Rowley, 45, was also exposed and became sick a few hours later. Rowley remains in critical condition and in a coma at the Salisbury hospital.

Friends told the British press that Rowley would often search dumpsters for items to barter or sell.

...

One line of inquiry suggests that after the Skripals were attacked by the nerve agent, the assailants disposed of vials, ampuls or a mixing kit — or some other contaminated items — and that Rowley and Sturgess found the material and were accidentally exposed.

Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, the head of Britain’s Counter Terrorism Policing Network, said 100 detectives were working as quickly as possible to identify the source of the recent contamination.

[zeestephen]

Have they blamed Bashar Assad yet?

[Cementjungle]

So my question is, do they ever empty the dumpsters over there? It has been months since Putin offed the spy.

Emptying dumpsters would be depriving the most vulnerable of society of their source of food. England is too civilized to do such a thing.

[pepsi_junkie]

A middle-aged British woman, who somehow came into contact with the Soviet-era nerve agent known as Novichok, died Sunday evening at a hospital in south England where she was being treated for exposure to the military-grade chemical weapon.

Maybe she'd have pulled through if it had been the consumer grade version of the chemical weapon.