Police have recovered a body from the River Thames after launching a manhunt in search of the perpetrator who shot a woman at a Kent pub on Valentine's Day in Knockholt.
Kent Police confirmed that the corpse is being linked to an investigation into the murder of Lisa Smith, 43, who was shot dead in a shocking attack outside The Three Horseshoes pub.
The suspect - called Edvard Stockings or Smith - was believed to have been known to the deceased and, upon investigations that same evening, officers discovered an abandoned car along the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge.
Such circumstances led officials to believe that the suspect had fallen into the water.
Kent Police had been searching the river for almost a month
The car was found to contain a handgun and a man was seen by witnesses on the wrong side of the barrier.
A body has now been recovered by police near Rainham - although it is yet to be formally identified.
The suspect's family has been informed of the news.
Kent Police said: "A body has been recovered by police from the River Thames, which is being linked to a murder investigation in Knockholt.
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"On Friday 14 February 2025, Lisa Smith, 43, was killed after she was shot outside a pub in Main Road. The suspect was known to Lisa and later that evening officers found his car abandoned on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge.
"Enquiries established he had fallen into the water below.
"At around 3.45pm on Friday 7 March, a body was located near Rainham, Essex.
"Formal identification has not yet taken place; however, the man's family have been informed."
A police cordon outside the Three Horseshoes pub in Knockholt, Sevenoaks in Kent after the shooting
PALast week, an inquest into Smith's murder found that she died after a fatal gunshot wound to the neck.
A full inquest into her death will be heard in September.
Following the horrific attack, parish councillor Steve Maines told the BBC he heard a "commotion" outside the venue, and was told someone had been shot.
He said: "We were sitting having our Valentine’s Day meal when all of a sudden we heard this huge commotion outside in the car park. We were told someone had been shot so we had to leave."
Dorothy Wong, who lives nearby, added: "I heard around three to four bangs outside and loud shouting from a woman’s voice."
