 A woman who was detained under the Mental Health Act after killing her mother has gone missing after threatening staff with a weapon. Laura Van Marle escaped from a secure unit while being treated in Wellington, Somerset at around 5:10pm on Friday. The 43-year-old was given an indefinite hospital order by the courts in 2021 after admitting to manslaughter and is described as about 5ft 7in, slim, with blonde hair. The member of staff she threatened was not injured. Avon and Somerset police said they are conducting a 'fast-paced operation' search of the local area and have deployed specialist units including a helicopter and police dogs to track her down. Detectives are said to be following all lines of enquiry. Police said Laura was on foot and is known to walk long distances, and may have left the Wellington area. She may also be travelling on public transport, and has links to Herefordshire. Laura is considered to be in mental health crisis and may pose a risk to herself or others. The public are asked not to call 999 and not approach her. Any other information can be given to the 101 non-emergency number. Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here. For more stories like this, check our news page. Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
A woman who was detained under the Mental Health Act after killing her mother has gone missing after threatening staff with a weapon.
Laura Van Marle escaped from a secure unit while being treated in Wellington, Somerset at around 5:10pm on Friday.
The 43-year-old was given an indefinite hospital order by the courts in 2021 after admitting to manslaughter and is described as about 5ft 7in, slim, with blonde hair.
The member of staff she threatened was not injured.