The husband of a 34-year-old pharmacist found murdered in her home in northern England earlier this week was charged with her murder.
Mitesh Patel, 36, appeared at Teesside Magistrates Court where he was charged with the murder of Jessica Patel and was remanded in custody to appear before Teesside Crown Court on Tuesday.
“We have lost Jessica, a kind-hearted, gentle and selfless person who was loved dearly by her family and friends. She was completely dedicated to all of her family and her loss has brought an unbearable pain,” said a statement released by local Cleveland Police on behalf of Jessica’s family.
“We as a family are devastated and we would kindly request that everyone respects our privacy and allows us the time to grieve in peace,” the family tribute added.
Jessica Patel was found at her home on The Avenue in Linthorpe suburb of Middlesbrough with “serious injuries” on Monday and pronounced dead at the scene. A post-mortem was conducted but the cause of her death had not been released for “investigative” reasons.
According to local reports, the victim ran a local chemist shop on Roman Road in Middlesbrough with her husband, whom she met while studying at university in Manchester.
The husband was said to be “distraught” as he “adored” his wife by people who knew the couple.
“They were a really nice, friendly couple and they’ve become popular in the area since they took over the pharmacy,” one of the couples neighbours added.
The couple’s home is close to their pharmacy, which they ran for around three years. Both the home and work premises were the focus of intense police searches through the week.
