A man has been charged with murdering two women more than a year apart, including one who disappeared from an off-licence last month.
Naomi Hunte, 41, was stabbed to death at an address in Greenwich, southeast London, on Valentine’s Day last year, while the second woman, Fiona Holm, 48, was last seen leaving a shop in Bromley on 20 June this year.
Ms Holm was reported missing on 29 June and has not been heard from since, with police saying her disappearance is out of character.
Due to the amount of time since she was last seen alive in Verdant Lane, the Metropolitan Police are now treating her disappearance as a murder investigation.
Carol Cooper, 65, was initially arrested on suspicion of Ms Hunte’s murder on 18 February 2022. He was bailed pending further inquiries before being released under investigation.
He was not on bail when he was re-arrested on 11 July on suspicion of Holm’s murder and has since been charged with the murders of both women.
Police said Cooper was known to both women and searches are ongoing to find Holm’s body at addresses and open areas in southeast London.
Following Ms Hunte’s death at her home in Congleton Grove, a neighbour told The Evening Standard she’d heard a scream coming from her flat.
Firefighters later used axes to break down the door, with residents told by police that her body could have lay in the flat for several days before being discovered.
Last April, the charity Crimestoppers offered a £20,000 reward for information that may help catch her killer. Speaking at the time, Naomi’s mother, Lorna, said: “It’s been over a year since Naomi died and we, as a family, need to understand what happened to her.
“Naomi was a vibrant, kind and loving person and her death has caused our family great suffering.”
The families of both women have been informed of the murder charges and are being supported by specially trained officers. The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards has also been informed because of Cooper’s prior arrest over Ms Hunte’s death.
Cooper, of Broadfield Road, SE6, is due to appear at Bromley Magistrates Court later on Friday.
Anyone with information about Ms Holm’s disappearance is asked to contact police via 101 or Tweet @MetCC quoting 22MIS023317.
