Daughter of woman found dead in Spanish ditch fundraising for probe

The daughter of a Scots holidaymaker who was found dead in a ditch next to a motorway in Spain is fundraising to pay for a private detective to probe the incident.

Mum-of-two Sharon Fielding, 50, had jetted off to Spain for a holiday in Nerja, on the south coast and was found dead on September 15.

Her daughter, Jamielee Fielding, 31, was stunned by the news and was told by Spanish police her mother had died of head trauma caused after she fell in the street.

A death certificate recorded the cause of death as pulmonary edema, a condition that causes the lungs to fill up with water – which Jamielee was surprised by as her mother did not have any health problems.

Care worker Sharon, from Livingston, West Lothian, did not drive – but her body was found next to a busy motorway nearly an hour’s walk from where she was staying in a villa in Villa Capistrano.

Her heartbroken daughter believes the death is suspicious, although authorities in Spain have deemed it not to be.

She was distraught to see a “dent” in her mother’s head when she saw the body.

Jamielee said: “When they did the autopsy over here they said ‘that can happen if they don’t carry out the autopsy properly’. But it looked like it had been impacted.

“Everything is so strange and open-ended. The Spanish police and the police here have closed the book and said it’s not suspicious.

“Everything about it is suspicious to me, even down to where she was found. It just doesn’t make sense how she ended up there.

“There was a rocky, steep embankment beside a busy motorway.

“I was given the coordinates by the police to lay some flowers.

“I was shocked when I got there.

“How the hell did she end up here? I had to park in a layby 20 minutes down from it and walk down this busy motorway.

“It’s so confusing. Even if I knew anyone that had seen her on that day.”

Jamielee, also from Livingston, who works as a customer service adviser with West Lothian Council, described her mum as her “best friend”, and they shared a love of bingo and spa trips.

She is trying to fundraise nearly £8500 to pay for a private eye to investigate, and has so far raised £595.

The Crown Office and Police Scotland have been involved in looking into Sharon’s death but will not be able to release their findings until their Spanish colleagues release theirs – which could take up to a year.

She said Scottish cops told her there was ‘nothing out of the ordinary’ regarding Sharon’s death.

But Jamielee believes a private investigator could help find out what happened to her mother quicker.

Jamielee added: “It’s been really hard

“She was my best friend, we spoke every day.

“We liked going shopping, going to the bingo, wee spa trips away.

“She was the kindest person you’d ever meet.

“When she was a student she worked at a food truck in Princes Street in Edinburgh and because of her demeanour, she would attract the homeless people and she’d end up becoming friends with them and giving them something to eat.

“One year she even invited one of them back for Christmas dinner.”

A spokeswoman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said: “The death in Spain of a 50-year-old woman from Livingston was referred to COPFS by the Death Certification Review Service.

“Enquiries are ongoing with the assistance of Police Scotland but COPFS has limited jurisdiction in relation to deaths that occur outside Scotland.”

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “In September, 2021, the Crown Office instructed Police Scotland to conduct initial enquiries into the death of a 50-year-old woman from Livingston who died in Spain.

“These have been done and have included a post mortem examination which took place in Scotland.

“The death is currently being treated as unexplained pending further information being received from the Spanish authorities.

“Further investigation will be determined under Crown Office instruction if required.”

The Guardia Civil was approached for comment.