One woman dead following exposure to nerve agent in Amesbury

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Forensic police officers wearing hazmat suits examine a vehicle believed to belong to Sergei Skripal on March 8, 2018, in Salisbury, England.

The Metropolitan Police in the United Kingdom have launched a murder investigation after a 44 year old woman died after being exposed to a nerve agent Novichok, which was linked to the poisoning of a former Russian operative.

In a statement, the Met Police said that the victim, Dawn Sturgess, died on Sunday after exposure to the nerve agent. “Her family has been informed and is receiving support from specially trained family liaison officers,” the statement read. “A post-mortem will be scheduled to take place in due course.”

Amesbury has been shaken by the discovery just over a week ago of Novichok, which left Sturgess and a man gravely ill and stoked suspicions of Russia’s involvement. The man, an unidentified 45 year old, is still hospitalized, authorities say.

Novichok is a Soviet-era chemical weapon developed during the Cold War. Some forms of the poison are said to be far more poisonous than VX, another toxic nerve agent.

In the spring, Sergei Skripal, a former double agent, and his daughter were exposed to the nerve agent, which prompted the UK government to impose a round of sanctions on Moscow.