UPDATE: Body Found In The Cam

UPDATE November 8th:

The body found in the Cam has been identified as an ARU lecturer and former Director of Studies in English at Homerton.

Newnham rowers discovered the body of Professor Julia Swindells, 60, on an outing last Sunday. Police are not treating the death as suspicious.

The academic giving a lecture in February this year

She had been missing since October 29th and searches for her were already underway when the discovery was made.

UPDATE November 6th:

The Tab can confirm that Cambridge rowers found the body in the river this morning.

Newnham College Boat Captain Gemma-Claire Ali was coxing a boat of four girls when she came across the body.

“We had stopped to do an exercise and our stroke caught sight of the body floating immediately next to the cox’s seat. We informed people on the bank and the emergency services were called, who arrived very quickly,” she explained.

The crew then parked and Ali told other coaches to turn their boats – including Newnham and Fitzwilliam VIII’s – around.

“Understandably, all four rowers were quite shaken, but the situation was well handled by everyone involved,” Ali told The Tab.

The body has not yet been identified. Police are expected to announce further details tomorrow.

This is the second known death in the Cam this year. Two teenagers were arrested in May Week after a man in his 50s was found dead in the river near Jesus Green lock.

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All rowing outings were suspended this morning after a body was discovered in The Cam. 

The body was found upstream of Chesterton just before midday. Many rowers who were out on the river were turned away, and fire engines and police were called out immediately.

Mark Warner, a police inspector with Cambridgeshire Constabulary, confirmed the death to The Tab. He said: “The police received a call via the fire service at 11.42am.

“A body has been recovered from the river, and has been taken to Addenbrooke’s. There is no information at the moment to suggest anything suspicious.”

The Cam near Chesterton

The victim has not yet been identified. Rumours that the body was discovered by one of the crews on an outing are still unconfirmed, but it has been suggested on uni rowing forums that both City and Newnham boats made the gruesome find.

In an email sent out to rowers across the university at noon, CUCBC’s coxing representative Mat Bryan said: “Crews are advised to cancel outings for the next few hours while the situation is handled by the emergency services.”

The Tab understands that the river has recently been reopened, and the emergency services have been cleared.

More to follow.