MYSTERY surrounds the death of a former teacher whose body was found on a beach on Sunday.

The body of Debra McNicholas, 44, was discovered by a member of the public at 7am on Redcar beach, east Cleveland, near the children's paddling pool.

A post-mortem examination showed that the Redcar mother-of-four had drowned.

But police said yesterday that she also had injuries consistent with a fall or assault. Speaking at a media briefing, Detective Superintendent Mark Braithwaite, who is leading the investigation, said: "At this stage, I am treating Debra's death as suspicious. I'm currently trying to build up a picture of how she came to be on the promenade.

"My appeal is for information from anyone who knew Debra or who may have seen her or been in her company on Saturday night or Sunday morning."

Mrs McNicholas, who gave up teaching to look after her children, is understood to have left the house at 11pm on Saturday. Police are unsure of her movements afterwards, and are questioning her family and friends for clues.

Det Sup Braithwaite said he did not know how long Mrs McNicholas' body had been on the beach, or whether she had been attacked.

He described Mrs McNicholas as "independent with a wide circle of friends".

Anyone with information is asked to call (01642) 302626 or 326326.