Joanne Ward is the lady whose death is being investigated by police in Rotherham, and they are asking anyone who knew her to get in touch with them.

According to South Yorkshire police, on Friday, June 21, at 5:53 p.m., they received a call at a town address.

It happened after a woman at the property was reportedly gravely hurt. The woman passed away at the site, according to police, despite the efforts of medical staff.

Following his arrest, Laurence Ward, 57, was accused of murder. On Wednesday, he made his appearance at Sheffield Crown Court and was placed under detention.

Police identified Joanne Ward, 53, as the victim on Thursday and made her picture public. They also pleaded with friends and family to get in touch with them.

“Our inquiries into Joanne Ward’s tragic death are continuing at pace and I am now directly appealing to members of Joanne’s family, or anyone who personally knew her, to get in touch with us,” stated senior investigating officer DI Simon Cartwright.

“You can report information to us over the phone at 101, through live chat, or online. When contacting us, please mention incident number 878 of June 21, 2024.

“We recognise that not everyone is at ease talking to police face-to-face. Alternatively, you can use Crimestoppers, an independent organisation, to report information anonymously by calling 0800 555 111 or visiting www.crimestoppers-uk.org. You won’t be identifiable, and this is totally private.

The next appearance of Laurence Ward is scheduled for September 6 at Sheffield Crown Court.

What happened to the Soham murderer Ian Huntley and where is he now?

Two defenceless 10-year-old girls were abducted and killed in 2002, a horrific incident that rocked the country and permanently altered the life of the town of Soham in Cambridgeshire.

The event happened on August 4, Sunday, while Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells, closest friends, were visiting Holly’s house for a cookout.

The two sneaked out of the house around 6:15 p.m. to grab some candy because their parents thought they were playing together in Holly’s bedroom.

But when Holly and Jessica’s parents went to see how they were doing at 8:00 p.m., they were horrified to discover that the two were nowhere to be found.

The missing girls were reported to the local police almost away, and the community of Soham banded together to search for them.

It was at this time that the police spoke to local man Ian Huntley who worked at the girls’ school as a caretaker and claimed to have seen Jessica and Holly on his doorstep and mentioned that they appeared happy during their brief interaction.

Huntley became involved with the search for the two girls, often appearing in interviews appealing for them along with his girlfriend Maxine Carr.

What did Ian Huntley do?

The bodies of Holly and Jessica were discovered in a ditch close to the RAF Lakenheath perimeter fence in Suffolk, approximately 10 miles east of Soham, two weeks after they went missing on August 17.

The girls perished from asphyxiation, the coroner ruled later.

The question of who could do such a thing then came up. Residents of Grimsby, where Huntley was born, disclosed that he had previously been connected to sexual assaults on women.

Later on, it was discovered that he had being looked into for both the 1998 alleged rape and his suspected extramarital affairs with minors before to arriving to Soham.

Police searched Jessica’s phone after learning that it last received a signal from a mass outside of Huntley’s residence.

They were able to locate the girls’ most recent outfit fibres as well as the fibres that linked Huntley’s body to her clothes.

Ian Huntley, who killed Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, Cambridgeshire, is currently serving a life term. Picture: PA

On August 20, Huntley faced two murder charges, and his girlfriend Carr was accused of trying to sway the outcome of the case by lying about Huntley’s location.

Following a trial in December 2003, Huntley was convicted guilty of two counts of murder and given a life sentence with a minimum of 40 years.

Where is Ian Huntley now?

Huntley is still incarcerated at HMP Frankland in Durham. During his time there, he attempted suicide several times, suffered from health issues, and was the target of numerous attacks by other inmates.

Huntley admitted, while incarcerated, of dragging an 11-year-old girl into an orchard in 1997 and sexually abusing her.

Huntley won’t be able to apply for parole until he turns 68 in 2042.

What happened to Maxine Carr? The ex-girlfriend of Soham murderer Ian Huntley

In 2002, the town of Soham in Cambridgeshire was changed forever after the abduction and murder of two innocent 10-year-old girls.

On Sunday, the 4th of August, best friends Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells were attending a barbecue at Holly’s home.

At 6.15pm, the two left the house to get some sweets as their parents believed the two were playing together in Holly’s bedroom.

But, when Holly’s and Jessica’s parents went to check on them at 8pm, they were left panicked when they could not find the pair.

Police were immediately notified of the missing girls and the town of Soham came together to find them.

Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells. (Image: PA)

It was at this time police spoke to Ian Huntley who worked at the girls’ school as a caretaker and was the boyfriend of Maxine Carr, who was a support assistant at the school.

Huntley told police that he had seen Jessica and Holly on his doorstep and mentioned that they appeared happy during their brief interaction.

Two weeks after Holly and Jessica went missing on August 17, their bodies were found in a ditch near the perimeter fence of RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, around 10 miles east of Soham.

The coroner later ruled the girls died from asphyxiation.

The search then turned to who could do such a thing. Locals from Huntley’s hometown of Grimsby revealed he had previously been linked to sex attacks on a woman.

It was later found that he had been investigated for the alleged rape in 1998, along with his alleged sexual relationships with underage girls before moving to Soham.

Maxine Carr. (Image: PA)

When it was discovered that Jessica’s phone last had a signal to a mass outside of Huntley’s home, police conducted a search.

They were able to find fibres of clothing the girls had last been wearing when they were seen and fibres connecting Huntley’s body and clothing.

On August 20, Huntley was charged with two counts of murder, while his girlfriend Carr was charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice when lying about Huntley’s whereabouts.

The trial took place in December 2003 and saw Huntley found guilty on two counts of murder and he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 40 years.

What did Maxine Carr do?

Maxine Carr lied to police during the investigation of Holly and Jessica, telling police that she was at home with Huntley at the time the best friends vanished.

However, in a later interview with the police, she admitted that she made a fake alibi for her boyfriend.

Ian Huntley. (Image: PA)

It’s understood the police began to question Carr when in a TV interview she spoke of the girls in the past tense, telling BBC Look East: “No one believes they would ever run away. They were very close to their families. This is something that I will keep for the rest of my life.”

After admitting to lying, Carr told police that Huntley told her Holly and Jessica went into their home after one of the girls had a nosebleed, but did told tell Carr about harming them.

Did Maxine Carr go to prison?

Carr was charged with two counts of assisting an offender, one for giving a false alibi, and one count of perverting the course of justice but was only found guilty of perverting the course of justice.

She pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice, but not guilty to the charge of assisting an offender.