PCSO Julia James murder: Family says police community support officer was ‘fiercely loyal’
Kent Police says detectives are considering ‘all possible motives’ for murder
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The family of murdered PCSO Julia James have described her as “fiercely loyal” in their first statement following the discovery of her body earlier this week.
Ms James was found dead in Akholt Wood in Snowdown, near Aylesham in Kent, on Tuesday after suffering from blunt head trauma while out walking her dog.
Detectives for Kent Police have said they are considering “all possible motives” for the murder of the 53-year-old, who was off duty and not in uniform at the time of her death.
On Friday, Ms James’ family urged anyone with information on the incident “however small or insignificant” to contact Kent Police in order to help “get justice for Julia”.
“There are no words to adequately describe the void left in our lives by the death of our mum,” the family said in a statement.
“She was so much to so many people; a wife, mother, daughter, nanny, sister and a friend.
“Mum was fiercely loyal, she loved with her whole heart and nothing was too much trouble for the people she cared about.”
They added: “Her loss will be felt by us every moment of every day. She will be so sorely missed. As a family we are trying to understand how we will navigate our lives without her, it seems an impossible task.”
Detectives have said this week that they cannot rule out the possibility that Ms James was murdered by a stranger, while Kent Police assistant chief constable Tom Richards has urged people to be “cautious, vigilant, [and] aware of their surroundings”.
Mr Richards said police did not “have any identified suspects” at this stage in the investigation.
“We are keeping all options open to us while we fully investigate the circumstances of this matter and try to understand fully what happened,” he said.
“We do not at this stage understand the motive.”
Officers are expected to remain at the scene at Akholt Wood and the surrounding areas until at least the beginning of next week as enquiries continue, the force said.