The unexplained deaths of four people who were living at a homeless shelter in Cornwall at the same time as triple killer James Desborough are being reviewed by police. The review follows Desborough being found guilty on Tuesday of murdering two men he met while staying at Sandy Lodge in Newquay, and comes after he was sentenced earlier this year for murdering his cellmate in Exeter Prison while on remand for the murder charges.
What is police reviewing?
Devon and Cornwall Police are looking at the unexpected deaths of two men and two women at the homeless shelter between December 2024 and April 2025. Det Supt Rachael Bentley said officers were informed by the coroner's officer for His Majesty's Coroner that there had been four deaths at Sandy Lodge.
She said:
"As a major crime investigation team we were informed by the coroner's officer for His Majesty's Coroner that there were four deaths at Sandy Lodge. "As part of the investigation, a detective inspector, separate to the investigation but within major crime, did a review of those deaths, and that included commissioning some more forensic work, some CCTV, and statements."
Has police found a link to Desborough?
Police said inquiries were ongoing and the deaths remained unexpected at this stage. Bentley said Desborough was
"not a suspect at this time"and added:
"We don't believe there is a link at this time, but I said it's an ongoing investigation,"
She said police attended each of the deaths at Sandy Lodge and that inquiries suggested natural causes, but coronial investigations were paused when Desborough was arrested for murder.
What is the current status of the investigation?
The review remains ongoing, with further forensic work, CCTV and statements having been commissioned as part of the separate review within major crime. Police have said the four deaths remain under review, and at this stage they are still described as unexpected.
Desborough, 40, was found guilty on Tuesday of murdering two other men he met while staying at Sandy Lodge in Newquay. Earlier this year, he was also sentenced for murdering his cellmate in Exeter Prison while on remand for the murder charges.
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