12 August 2023 , 06:48
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A woman who killed her own mum has been found after members of the public were warned not to approach her.
Laura Van Marle, 43, fled from a secure unit while being treated in Wellington, Somerset, where she had been under a hospital order made by the court after she admitted manslaughter.
Police said she made off on foot on Friday evening after threatening a member of hospital staff with a weapon while on escorted leave at about 5.10pm. The staff member was not injured.
She was detained by officers from Avon and Somerset Police on Saturday morning.
An earlier Avon and Somerset Police update described the search for her as a "fast-paced operation" and said detectives are following up all lines of enquiry. Officers on foot have been supported by the National Police Air Service helicopter in the operation around the Wellington area, alongside additional specialist units including a dog and handler.
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In 2021, Laura was made the subject of an indefinite hospital order after she admitted stabbing her 69-year-old mother Susanna Van Marle, who was found dead in the village of Cradley, Herefordshire, on 26 September 2020. A court heard she had travelled around 150 miles to her mother's property from Dorset, where she had been living an open-air alternative lifestyle, before breaking in using a spare key stored in the garage and attacking her mother with a kitchen knife. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility.
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said earlier: "We are keen to trace Laura Van Marle, who was being treated in Wellington, Somerset, under a hospital order made by the court after she admitted manslaughter. Laura is 43, white, about 5ft 7ins tall and slim with blonde hair. She was last seen wearing a white vest top, grey denim shorts and black trainers, but may have changed her clothes. We've been carrying out searches supported by specialist officers and the National Police Air Support helicopter."