A murder investigation was launched on 28 July following the disappearance of 30-year-old woman Madison Wright in Pitsea. Madison’s body was sadly located at Wat Tyler Park on 30 July following a large-scale search by specialist officers.

Last month, Garry Bennett, 37 of Caister Drive appeared in court where he pleaded not guilty to murder. A trial has been set for Basildon Crown Court on Monday, 13 March 2023.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Kevin Hughes said:

“Our investigation does not stop at the point of charge and we have continued to complete lines of enquiry to help us understand what happened to Madison and when she died.

"The team and I remain steadfast in our pursuit for justice, and at this time of year especially, our thoughts & prayers are with Madison’s family, who this year, will be spending their first Christmas without her.

“A key and ongoing line of enquiry, is our efforts to find and recover Madison’s phone. Up until a recent development this was looking doubtful, but we now have information that suggests Madison’s phone was briefly switched on in September and one scenario we are looking to explore, is the potential a member of the public has found the phone.

"This phone still has evidential value to our investigation, but as equally important, are the sentimental photos and videos which may still be recoverable from the device. Given the emotive implications, we would really like to be able to reunite these significant mementos with Madison’s family and if someone has found the phone we need to speak with that person as part of our enquiries. The phone in question was a Google Pixel 4a, similar to the image depicted and may have been in a black case.

“Any information about this mobile phone or further information about Madison’s death, may help us get the answers that Madison’s family deserve.”

We continue to urge anyone who has any information, but has not yet come forward to contact us.