Penelope Davis
Penelope Davis was found dead in a field where she tended her horses Police handout

Three people have been arrested in connection with the murder of a woman who was stabbed while tending horses in a field in the New Forest.

Penelope Davis, 47, was found stabbed to death in a field in Leygreen Farm in Bealieu, where she had been tending to her horses, on Tuesday.

Hampshire Police said three suspects were being held in police custody and Davis' husband and five children had been informed about the arrests.

One suspect has been detained on suspicion of murder. A second is being held on suspicion of perverting the course of justice, and a third is suspected of assisting an offender.

Mrs Davis, or Pennie, was from Blackfield in Hampshire, worked in a local supermarket and visited the field daily to tend to her horses. A post-mortem examination revealed Mrs Davis had died from multiple stab wounds.

On Friday, police officers searched Lymington River for the weapon used in the attack – thought to be a bladed weapon, possibly a knife. Police are increasing patrols to offer reassurance to residents in the area.

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