Police in Ipswich are asking for the community's assistance after the body of William McNicholl, known locally as Billy was found inside an address in Hawthorn Drive, Ipswich on the 1st January 2025.

Officers were called to Billy’s address in Hawthorn Drive, Ipswich shortly before 6pm Wednesday 1 January 2025. Billy was sadly found deceased within the property and his family have been notified.

A Home Office post-mortem has been carried out and preliminary results indicate the cause of death as being from multiple injuries.

A murder inquiry is being led by Suffolk Constabulary’s Major Investigation Team.

The charity Crimestoppers have a £20,000 reward available for anyone providing information that leads to the conviction of the person(s) responsible for Billy’s murder.

Crimestoppers is completely independent from the police. Calls are never recorded and there is no means of tracing a caller through phone numbers or internet usage. If you wish to provide information and be assured you can remain completely anonymous, you can do it through Crimestoppers. Further information regarding how Crimestoppers works and the investigation into Billy’s murder can be found here:

£20,000 reward offered for key information on Ipswich murder inquiry | Crimestoppers

The investigating team strongly recommend you read and understand the conditions on the Crimestoppers website.

A 17 year old boy and a women in her 50’s have been arrested and released on police bail.

Officers are appealing for anybody with information or who saw any suspicious activity near Billy’s address between Tuesday 24 December and Wednesday 1 January 2025 to contact Suffolk Police quoting reference 37/162/25 Operation Halberton. Please see the Contact Information pane for the different ways you can contact the investigating team.