Woman's body is found in public toilet near historical landmark in Banbury - as police launch probe into her death

By JOSHUA HAINING, NEWS REPORTER Published: 11:36, 24 May 2026 | Updated: 11:41, 24 May 2026 A woman's body was found in a public toilet near a historical landmark in Banbury, Oxfordshire, yesterday as police launch a probe into the 'unexplained death'. The woman's body was discovered in a toilet near the Banbury Cross, a 16-metre neo-Gothic monument in the market town. Officers cordoned off the lavatories located on West Bar Street on May 23 at 8.20am and have since launched an investigation into the woman's death. The woman has not yet been identified and the Police are treating the death as 'unexplained'. Thames Valley police are appealing for anyone with information that might aid their investigation to get in touch. The woman's body was found in a public toilet on West Bar Street near the 16th century Banbury Cross on May 23 The woman has not yet been identified and the police are treating the death as 'unexplained'. A police spokesperson said: 'Officers attended the public toilets on West Bar Street, close to the Banbury Cross, and sadly found the body of a woman. 'We are still in the initial stages of this investigation, and the woman has not yet been identified. 'If anyone has any information regarding this unexplained death, please make contact with us on 101 quoting reference 43260255904.' The Banbury Cross was erected in 1859 to celebrate the wedding of Queen Victoria's eldest daughter and is located on a roundabout in the centre of town. The monument also inspired the nursery rhyme 'Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.