An update from police said it was thought that two more people ‘may have come to harm’

A murder investigation has been launched after the arrest of a suspected armed robber led officers to find the body of a woman inside a property, police have said.

Police believe there are “potentially two more people, a man and a woman, who may have come to harm”, a spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said on Sunday.

It follows an incident that occurred at around 9.21pm on Saturday evening, when police responded to reports of an armed robbery at Asda in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. Officers attended, arrested a man and seized a knife, the force said.

Following the arrest, the man told officers about a woman he believed to be dead inside a property on Norfolk Street, Batley.

Officers attended the address and found the body of a woman.

“Formal identification is yet to take place, but she is believed to be in her 20s,” a spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said.

The 37-year-old man, who had previously been arrested on suspicion of armed robbery, was subsequently arrested on suspicion of murder.

Officers are searching the Dewsbury area to locate the two other people they believe may have come to harm, with police present in the town centre, near to the River Calder and in Westtown.

Detective chief inspector Dan Bates, of the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, said: “This is clearly a very serious incident, where a young woman has lost her life.

“There is a heightened police presence in Dewsbury today as we work to establish the full circumstances surrounding this incident.

“Our immediate priority is to identify and locate the two people and establish whether or not they have come to any harm.

“A murder investigation is also under way and we do not believe there is any wider risk to the public at this time.

“We recognise this inquiry will cause concern in the community; we are working closely with our colleagues in the local neighbourhood policing team, who have stepped up patrols in the town centre.

“I would like to appeal to anyone who may have information that would assist to come forward and speak to us.

“We are also looking for any CCTV, doorbell and dash cam footage people might have to help our investigation.”