murder in my town, anxiety through the roof

[TunaSpaghettiSub]

not an aibu as such but my anxiety is going crazy right now.
there has been a body found in wierd circumstances a few streets down from me.
not sure how much is true as there is only limited amounts in local papers but a neighbour said someone was shot, a hazardous sunstance poured on them and dumped out of a car. i know immediate neighbours have been told to stay in. and not much else has been said. everyone else seems to either be curtain twitching and just trying ti get what info they can (understandable) but no one else i know is experiencing the same level of panic, i dont usually feel like this but this is just so close to home. not sure what im asking really, how to just feel like im not panicking over the top?

People are being told to ‘stay inside’ for another reason… so they stay out the way of the police trying to do their job!

Police have said to threat to anyone unless they've come into contact with deceased.

Ammmm I still live in Belfast and the deaths in this city nowadays have maybe 20% to do with the paramilitaries mainly drugs alcohol or domestic violence 🖕

Do we actually know it's a murder?
It could be that the person had an accident or took their own life.
The police aren't saying that any suspect is at large so I'd say you are quite safe.
I'd feel the same as you though probably.

Home office post mortem is more thorough than normal post mortem and is standard when there are suspicious or unusual circumstances.
OP, I know the area. It’s not gangland central or anything near. Try to put this out of your mind and let the authorities do their investigations. The local media will be all over it and as soon as there is anything to know, you will know, and hopefully be reassured. But don’t be checking obsessively. There lies the road to more anxiety. Try and distract yourself.

I think there are concerns about moving the body (to do with the substance?) Obviously though things like this are prone to hear say so I'm taking what residents are saying with a pinch of salt

If you live near a crime scene they often tell you to stay inside it stops onlookers and until they have found the routes taken by those involved stops evidence being destroyed

Being told to stay indoors is to prevent scene contamination and stopping the inevitable gawpers from taking photos and getting in everyone’s way.

I get it. I live in a city and more used to murders. But when 2 boys were stabbed to death at a house party near me, I was really upset and anxious. They were 17. If kids can't even have a party without that happening then how safe are my kids. It worried me for months.

The police want the immediate neighbours to stay indoors so they keep out of the way of their investigation.

I live near where stabbings have happened. The likelihood of anything happening to you are very slim as people have said - they are usually targeted cases between people known to each other.

However the scariest thing was when a terrorist attack happened as that is random and was close to home.

Unless the person was randomly raped and murdered I don't think you should be concerned!

Sorry you're feeling so anxious Op but
It can happen anywhere/my friend lives in a massive house in the country & a dead body was thrown into the field beside them. Try to watch something light & give your mind time to process it.

Incidentally @x2boys my friend used to have a tortoise called Wigan near Bolton. We're in Northern Ireland

It is worrying I understand why you feel so unsettled. Hopefully in a few days time you will feel less affected but its understandable that you do.

Hey fellow Wiganer 👋🏻 (I’m in Ashton).

The police are probably being overly cautious given what happened in Salisbury

Try not to worry, it will be drug related and you’re at very low risk of getting caught up in stuff like that

I think the unexplained substance does make this one stand out a bit. And in an area where there are generally lower rates of crime, it must stand out a lot.

I hope there will be more information shortly, to help reassure the local community. And ideally an arrest

I live in London and people get stabbed and killed regularly...doesn't mean this will ever affect you.

I think we also had a domestic incident one street away from where I live where a man killed his partner.

Frankly we are used to reading about that stuff unfortunately.

We have also had terrorist attacks over the years.

I know it is probably more shocking if you live in small town but for urban dwellers in big cities across the world it is something we have to live with.

I saw this in the press, how awful

Yes, there's nothing really unusual or worrying about this - it's pretty standard to try to preserve the scene as much as possible.

Put happy music on, or lighthearted TV, and try to distract yourself

Exactly, they don't want a whole streetful of rubber-neckers getting in their way.

Try to detract yourself, either organise cupboards or look up kittens/puppies on YouTube, whichever works for you. I know it must be worrying.

It's impossible to live in a reasonably large town/city without any crime ...

My first thought was novichok.

What's embarrassing is you assuming things you know nothing about enjoy your evening