THORNBURY, England, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- A Church of England priest found dead in his vicarage in England was killed by stab wounds, and a suspect was being questioned, investigators said Wednesday.
A 43-year-old man was detained late Tuesday for questioning about the killing of the Rev. John Suddards, The Guardian reported. Suddards' body was discovered Tuesday morning when two workmen arrived at his home in Thornton, a market town 12 miles north of Bristol, and were unable to get in.
An autopsy was performed Wednesday morning.
"The reverend had only been here a few months and we don't have a great understanding of his friends and family at the moment," said Detective Chief Inspector Simon Crisp of Avon and Somerset Police. "We are appealing for people who knew him to come forward and tell us about him. We are keen to speak to anyone who saw the reverend after 12:30 p.m. on Monday."
Bishop John West of Tewkesbury had been scheduled to visit Suddards Wednesday for an appraisal of his six months as vicar of St. Mary's. The bishop held a service for the congregation instead.
"Because clergy make themselves available to everyone, they put themselves in a vulnerable position," West told reporters after the service. "Our concern as a diocese is very much to support the church community but also the wider community of Thornbury as they seek to come to terms with this terrible tragedy."
Suddards, 58, was a former lawyer who became a priest after a serious car crash at age 31. Unmarried, he had moved to Thornbury from an Essex parish to be closer to two nieces, the report said.
