A 26-year-old man has been locally identified as Isaac Clare-Watts, a qualified joiner from Arnold, Nottinghamshire, who was found dead in the Peak District after a suspected murder. Derbyshire Police confirmed they were alerted to reports of a man's body found at the Nine Ladies Stone Circle in Stanton Lees around 1:38pm on Monday, June 22. Emergency services attended and the man was declared dead at the scene.
The discovery came after the summer solstice celebration at the Bronze Age stone circle on Sunday. A 41-year-old man has been detained on suspicion of murder and remains in custody, according to Nottinghamshire Live. The victim has not yet been officially identified, but his family have been informed and are receiving support from specially trained officers.
Victim's Background and Tributes
Mr Clare-Watts had been employed as a joiner at the Nottingham-based construction company Frank Goulding Ltd. He left late last year to travel and had recently returned to the UK, intending to continue his global travels. He was passionate about Muay Thai and had spent time in Thailand developing his skills.
The team at Frank Goulding released a statement: "Isaac joined us as a young man in 2016 to pursue a career in construction. He successfully completed his joinery apprenticeship and developed into a very skilled joiner. Isaac was a very popular member of our team and decided last year he wanted to take some time and go and see the world, in particular spending some time in Thailand to develop his Muay Thai skills, which was a passion of his. We are all very saddened to hear the tragic news and our prayers and sympathy go to his family."
Police Investigation and Appeal
Derbyshire Police is eager to speak with anyone who was at the Nine Ladies Stone Circle over the weekend, especially those with video footage from the summer solstice or of vehicles arriving and departing. Anyone with information can contact Derbyshire Police on 101, quoting incident reference 26*364216.
