Britain's Metropolitan Police said Sunday that a woman who was exposed to the deadly nerve agent Novichok in Amesbury, England, has died. The substance is the same nerve agent used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in an attack that occurred just miles away.

Metropolitan Police identified the woman as Dawn Sturgess, from Durrington. A 45-year-old man who was also poisoned remains critically ill, police said. British media have identified him as Charlie Rowley.

It's unclear if there is any link to the Skirpals, who were poisoned in March. Metropolitan Police said they cannot say whether the batches of Novichok were related.

Novichok was produced in the Soviet Union near the end of the Cold War. British Prime Minister Theresa May and the U.K.'s Western allies have blamed Russia for the attack on Skripal, who was convicted of spying for the U.K. and came to London in a prisoner swap with Russia in 2010.

On Sunday, May tweeted that Sturgess' death is now being investigated as a murder. She tweeted that the goverment is "committed to providing full support to the local community as it deasl wtih this tragedy."

I am appalled and shocked by the death of Dawn Sturgess, and my thoughts and condolences go to her family and loved ones. Police and security officials are working urgently to establish the facts of this incident, which is now being investigated as a murder. — Theresa May (@theresa_may) July 8, 2018

The Government is committed to providing full support to the local community as it deals with this tragedy. — Theresa May (@theresa_may) July 8, 2018

British security officials said earlier this week that they're working on the assumption the pair in Amesbury were not specifically targeted, but were instead innocent bystanders of the previous attack.

Sam Hobson was with Rowley when he became violently ill on Saturday.

"He was rocking against the wall and his eyes were all red and pricked and he started sweating loads and dribbling, so I had to phone an ambulance for him," Hobson recalled to CBS News.

It is possible that the couple from Amesbury stumbled across a dangerous amount of the nerve agent, maybe on instruments used in that initial attack.

Unlike most chemical nerve agents, Novichok can remain deadly for long periods of time, according to chemical weapons expert Hamish de Bretton Gordon.

"Most nerve agents are not very persistent and last for days, possibly weeks," he told CBS News. "We understand that Novichoks were designed to last for months, so four months down the line, is obviously still toxic."</s>LONDON — The Latest on the nerve agent poisonings in England (all times local):

British police say a woman who was exposed to a nerve agent in southern England has died.

London’s Metropolitan Police said 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess died Sunday in a hospital in Salisbury.

Sturgess had been hospitalized after falling ill on June 30 along with 45-year-old Charlie Rowley.

Police say they were exposed to Novichok, the same type of nerve agent used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury In March.

Police suspect they were exposed through a contaminated item left over from the first attack, which Britain blames on Russia. Russia has denied the allegation.

Britain’s home secretary is visiting Amesbury and Salisbury in southwestern England to reassure residents that the risk to the public remains very low despite the recent poisoning of two people exposed to a deadly nerve agent.

Sajid Javid said Sunday that both towns remain open for business and urged people to visit.

More than 100 police officers are working to try and locate a small vial believed to have contained the nerve agent Novichok, which was manufactured in the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

The never agent was used in the March attack on an ex-Russian spy and his daughter, and two Britons have been critically ill since they were exposed to it eight days ago.</s>British police on Sunday said a woman who was exposed to the nerve agent Novichok in Amesbury, near the southwestern town of Salisbury, had died.

London's Metropolitan Police said 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess died on Sunday in a Salisbury hospital and the case had now become a homicide investigation.

Police said Sturgess and 45-year-old Charlie Rowley, who remains in critical condition in hospital, were exposed to Novichok, the same type of nerve agent used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury In March.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May said she was "appalled and shocked" by the death.

The pair was found unconscious on June 30 at a house in a quiet neighborhood of Amesbury in the county of Wiltshire, just 12 kilometers (8 miles) from Salisbury, where the Skripals were poisoned.

Police said they suspected that the two were exposed to the nerve agent through a contaminated item left over from the first attack, which the UK has blamed Russia for.

Moscow has denied the claims. The UK's allegations resulted in tit-for-tat diplomat expulsions.

Read more: Opinion: Dealing with Russia, Theresa May finds herself alone at home

Experts at the nearby Porton Down military laboratory are so far not certain if the nerve agent came from the "same batch that the Skripals were exposed to," according to the Metropolitan Police's assistant commissioner of specialist operations, Neil Basu.</s>Amesbury woman Dawn Sturgess has died after being exposed to toxic nerve agent Novichok in late June, according to CNN. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Novichok, a “Soviet-era” nerve agent, was found to be the same nerve agent that poisoned former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia.

Sturgess was found in her home last Saturday along with her partner, Charles Rowley. Sturgess was taken to the hospital first after falling unconscious. Hours later, Rowley was taken to the Salisbury District Hospital after experiencing the same symptoms. He is currently in critical condition.

According to the Metropolitan Police, the couple was exposed to Novichok “after touching a contaminated item with their hands.” They have not yet determined the “source of contamination.” Though they were exposed to the same substance as Skripal, there is no indication that they knew him or went to the same location where the Skripals were exposed to Novichok. Both Skripal and his daughter survived the attack and were released in spring.

“We are not in a position to say whether the nerve agent was from the same batch that the Skripals were exposed to. The possibility that the two investigations might be linked is clearly a key line of inquiry for police. However, it is important that the investigation is led by the evidence available and the facts alone,” said Metropolitan Police.

Now, police have officially opened a murder investigation in light of Sturgess’ death. London Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner of Special Operations Neil Basu spoke about Sturgess’ passing.

From the outset, officials believe that Russia was involved with the poisoning of Skripal and possibly Sturgess. CNN reports that “UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid called Thursday for Russia to provide explanations after it was confirmed that Sturgess and Rowley were exposed to the same nerve agent as Skripal and his daughter.”

Though Russia has continually denied any involvement, countless countries have “expelled Russian diplomats in show of support for the UK.”

Novichok was developed by the Soviet Union in the 1980s. It is believed to be ten times deadlier than VX, a nerve agent that is listed as a weapon of mass destruction. Novichok was relatively unknown throughout the world until former scientist Vil Mirzayanov spoke out. He noted that a strong enough dose of Novichok will cause a person to die almost instantly. Otherwise, those exposed will suffer symptoms such as convulsions, difficulty breathing, vision impairment, vomiting, and more.

Sturgess is survived by her three children. UK Prime Minister Theresa May says her “thoughts and condolences” are with the Sturgess family at this time.</s>July 9 (UPI) -- Police are opening a murder investigation after Dawn Sturgess died from exposure to a Russian nerve agent eight days after touching it.

Sturgess, 44, and her partner Charlie Rowley, 45, were poisoned eight days ago by the same Soviet-era nerve agent that afflicted former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his adult daughter, Yulia, in March.

Sturgess is the first person to die after coming in contact with the Russian nerve agent.

In both poisoning instances, the agent believed to have been used is a Novichok agent, a substance developed by the Soviet Union during the 1970s.

British police are treating the 44-year-old woman's death as murder, the Telegraph reported, referring to it as "the day we hoped would never come."

Sergei and Yulia Skripal have both recovered since a probe opened into their poisoning in March.

The British couple, Sturgess and Rowley, were found on May 30 unconscious at a house in Amesbury, Wiltshire -- about 10 miles from where Skipal and his daughter were poisoned. Tests showed they were exposed after touching the nerve agent with their hands.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said she was "appalled and shocked" by Sturgess' death, and Home Secretary Sajid Javid said he was "determined" to catch the killers.

The Counter-Terrorism Policing Network and about 100 detectives are working on the investigation with Witshire Police, BBC News reported.

"Detectives will continue with their painstaking and meticulous work to gather all the available evidence so that we can understand how two citizens came to be exposed with such a deadly substance that tragically cost Dawn her life," Neil Basu, Britain's top counter-terrorism officer, said.

Officials suspect Sturgess and Crowley became exposed to the nerve agent after handling a contaminated item.

"We are not in a position to say whether the nerve agent was from the same batch that the Skripals were exposed to," Basu said. "The possibility that these two investigations might be linked is clearly a line of inquiry for us."</s>British police launched a murder investigation Sunday after the death of a woman who was exposed to a Russian nerve agent.

Dawn Sturgess, 44, of Durrington, was exposed to the nerve agent Novichok in Amesbury, police said. Her boyfriend, Charlie Rowley, 45, also fell ill on June 30 and remains hospitalized in critical condition, police said.

About 100 police detectives led by the Counter Terrorism Policing Network are working on the case around the clock, police said. Authorities are still trying to determine where and how the two were exposed to the nerve agent.

"This is shocking and tragic news. Dawn leaves behind her family, including three children, and our thoughts and prayers are with them at this extremely difficult time,” said Neil Basu, an assistant commissioner who is head of Counter Terrorism Policing for the United Kingdom. "This terrible news has only served to strengthen our resolve to identify and bring to justice the person or persons responsible for what I can only describe as an outrageous, reckless and barbaric act.”

The couple were found by emergency services about 10 miles from Salisbury, where Russian former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with the same nerve agent on March 4. Britain blamed Russia for the Skripals’ poisoning.

“The working assumption would be that these are victims of either the consequence of the previous attack, or something else, but not that they were directly targeted,” Security Minister Ben Wallace told the BBC.

“Russia has categorically denied and continues to categorically deny the possibility of any kind of involvement to what was happening there,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters July 5. “The British side has not presented any evidence of Russia’s involvement in this, besides unfounded accusations.”

The case began with a 10:15 a.m. ambulance call June 30 to a residence in Amesbury, where Sturgess had collapsed. About 3:30 p.m., the ambulance was called to the same residence to care for the man.

The UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory confirmed on July 4 that Sturgess and her boyfriend had both been exposed to Novichok, police said. No one else at the scene developed the same symptoms.

Further tests from Sturgess and Rowley showed that they were exposed to the nerve agent after touching a contaminated item with their hands, police said.

Police said there is no evidence that either of them visited any of the sites that were decontaminated following the attempted murders of the Skripals. Police couldn’t say whether the four were all contaminated from the same batch of nerve agent.</s>A middle-aged British woman, who somehow came into contact with the Soviet-era nerve agent known as Novichok, died Sunday evening at a hospital in south England where she was being treated for exposure to the military-grade chemical weapon.

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was "appalled and shocked by the death," and announced that it is now being investigated as a murder.

Dawn Sturgess, 44, was one of five people who became seriously ill after being exposed to the nerve agent in the Salisbury area.

Former Russian spy and double agent Sergei Skripal and his adult daughter, Yulia, were poisoned four months ago in what British authorities deemed a deliberate attack. After reviving from comas, both were released from the hospital to an undisclosed location. A police sergeant involved in the investigation of the March incident was also hospitalized for exposure but released shortly thereafter.

Sturgess lived in a supported-living facility that helps residents struggling with alcohol or drug addiction. Police said she was exposed to the chemical last weekend, absorbing it through her hands. She survived eight days.

Her boyfriend Charlie Rowley, 45, was also exposed and became sick a few hours later. Rowley remains in critical condition and in a coma at the Salisbury hospital.

Friends told the British press that Rowley would often search dumpsters for items to barter or sell.

Specialists at the nearby Defense Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down, a military research facility, identified the agent used against the Skripals, Sturgess and Rowley as Novichok.

The U.N. chemical weapons watchdog confirmed the finding in the Skripal case.

The British government blamed Russia for the attack against the Skripals, and senior British officials said such an assault would not have been carried out without Russian President Vladimir Putin's knowledge.

"Either this was a direct act by the Russian state against our country," May said in March, "or the Russian government lost control of this potentially catastrophically damaging nerve agent and allowed it to get into the hands of others."

After the Skripal attack, Britain tossed out two dozen Russian diplomats suspected of being intelligence agents. The United States, European countries and Canada followed in support, expelling more than 100 Russian diplomats.

The death of a British citizen, caused by a Soviet-era nerve agent that could have been brought to English soil by Russians, comes as President Donald Trump prepares this week to travel first to Brussels for a NATO summit, then to the London area for meetings with May and the queen, followed by a meeting with Putin in Helsinki next week.

England is also preparing to play in a World Cup quarter final match in Moscow on Wednesday. British government officials decided to boycott the games after the Skripal poisonings.

Britain has not directly pointed the finger at Russia in the case involving Sturgess and Rowley, saying the investigation, led by the Counter Terrorism Policing Network, is ongoing.

One line of inquiry suggests that after the Skripals were attacked by the nerve agent, the assailants disposed of vials, ampules or a mixing kit - or some other contaminated items - and that Rowley and Sturgess found the material and were accidentally exposed.

Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, the head of UK Counter Terrorism policing, said 100 detectives are working as quickly as possible to identify the source of the recent contamination.

"There is no evidence that they visited any of the sites that were decontaminated following the attempted murders of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in March this year," Basu said. "We are not in a position to say whether the nerve agent was from the same batch that the Skripals were exposed to."

The quiet medieval town of Salisbury is justifiable anxious about the second case of contamination and many are upset that the government repeatedly gave the "all-clear" when that may not have been accurate.

George Freeman, a Conservative lawmaker, tweeted that her death "raises quite serious questions" about the assurances from health officials that the risk to the wider public was low.

The Washington Post's Karla Adam contributed to this report.</s>(CNN) — A woman who was exposed to a Soviet-era nerve agent in Amesbury, England, died on Sunday, the Metropolitan Police said.

The woman, identified by police as Dawn Sturgess, 44, was exposed to Novichok last week after handling a contaminated item. The same nerve agent was used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in March.

“This is shocking and tragic news. Dawn leaves behind her family, including three children, and our thoughts and prayers are with them at this extremely difficult time,” Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, head of UK Counter Terrorism policing, said Sunday.

Charles Rowley, 45, who was also exposed to the nerve agent, remains hospitalized in critical condition, police said.

Test samples from Sturgess and Rowley show they were exposed to Novichok “after touching a contaminated item with their hands,” police said.

Detectives are working to identify the source of the contamination, police said, but a source has not yet been established. Police said there is no evidence that either Sturgess or Rowley visited any of the sites where the Skripals may have been poisoned. Skripal was discharged from the hospital in May and his daughter was released in April.

“We are not in a position to say whether the nerve agent was from the same batch that the Skripals were exposed to,” police said. “The possibility that the two investigations might be linked is clearly a key line of inquiry for police. However, it is important that the investigation is led by the evidence available and the facts alone.”

UK Prime Minister Theresa May said Sunday she was “appalled and shocked” by the death of Sturgess, according to a statement released by 10 Downing Street. May also said her “thoughts and condolences” go to Sturgess’ family and loved ones.

“Police and security officials are working urgently to establish the facts of this incident, which is now being investigated as a murder,” the statement read. “The government is committed to providing full support to the local community as it deals with this tragedy.”

Sturgess originally collapsed at an address in Amesbury on June 30 and was taken to the hospital, police said. Five hours after her collapse, police said, an ambulance was called back to the same address for Rowley, who also fell ill and was taken to the hospital.

Salisbury District Hospital treated Sturgess and Rowley. The hospital’s medical director, Dr. Christine Blanshard, said the staff “worked tirelessly to save Dawn.”

A police officer sought medical advice Saturday in connection with the ongoing investigation of the nerve agent exposure, but was given the “all clear,” according to Wiltshire Police.

UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid called Thursday for Russia to provide explanations after it was confirmed that Sturgess and Rowley were exposed to the same nerve agent as Skripal and his daughter.

Russia has denied any involvement in the Skripal incident. Still, more than 20 other countries have expelled Russian diplomats in a show of support for the UK.

“This terrible news has only served to strengthen our resolve to identify and bring to justice the person or persons responsible for what I can only describe as an outrageous, reckless and barbaric act,” Basu said.

Nerve agents kill by affecting the nervous system in various ways.

Novichok, which works by causing a slowing of the heart and restriction of the airways, is one of the world’s rarest nerve agents. Very few people outside Russia have experience with it.

It was developed in secret by the Soviet Union during the Cold War in the 1980s as a means of countering US chemical weapons defenses, but was revealed to the world by former Soviet scientist and whistleblower Vil Mirzayanov.

Mirzayanov told CNN that Novichok is up to 10 times as potent as VX, the weapon used to kill Kim Jong Un’s half brother, Kim Jong Nam, in 2017.

“A lethal dose … and the person will die immediately. If (the dosage) is less, (the person) will go through very tortuous scenes. They will start convulsions, and stop breathing and then lose vision, and there are other problems — vomiting, everything. It’s a terrible scene,” Mirzayanov said.</s>Britain's Home Secretary Sajid Javid, centre, meets police officers as he visits Muggleton Road where counter-terrorism officers are investigating after a couple were left in a critical condition when they were exposed to the nerve agent Novichok, in Amesbury, England, Sunday July 8, 2018. Javid visited Amesbury and Salisbury in southwestern England to reassure residents that the risk to the public remains very low despite the recent poisoning of two people exposed to a deadly nerve agent. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP) less

Britain's Home Secretary Sajid Javid, centre, meets police officers as he visits Muggleton Road where counter-terrorism officers are investigating after a couple were left in a critical condition when they were ... more

Britain's Home Secretary Sajid Javid, centre, exits the police cordon at Muggleton Road where counter-terrorism officers are investigating after a couple were left in a critical condition when they were exposed to the nerve agent Novichok, in Amesbury, England, Sunday July 8, 2018. Javid visited Amesbury and Salisbury in southwestern England to reassure residents that the risk to the public remains very low despite the recent poisoning of two people exposed to a deadly nerve agent. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP) less

Britain's Home Secretary Sajid Javid, centre, exits the police cordon at Muggleton Road where counter-terrorism officers are investigating after a couple were left in a critical condition when they were exposed ... more

FILE - In this file photo dated Thursday, July 5, 2018, an unidentified British police officer guards a cordon in Salisbury, England. Officials say Saturday July 7, 2018, that a police officer is being tested for possible medical problems related to the recent Novichok nerve agent poisoning of two individuals in southwest England. less

FILE - In this file photo dated Thursday, July 5, 2018, an unidentified British police officer guards a cordon in Salisbury, England. Officials say Saturday July 7, 2018, that a police officer is being tested ... more

LONDON (AP) — The Latest on the nerve agent poisonings in England (all times local):

British police say a woman who was exposed to a nerve agent in southern England has died.

London's Metropolitan Police said 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess died Sunday in a hospital in Salisbury.

Sturgess had been hospitalized after falling ill on June 30 along with 45-year-old Charlie Rowley.

Police say they were exposed to Novichok, the same type of nerve agent used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury In March.

Police suspect they were exposed through a contaminated item left over from the first attack, which Britain blames on Russia. Russia has denied the allegation.

Britain's home secretary is visiting Amesbury and Salisbury in southwestern England to reassure residents that the risk to the public remains very low despite the recent poisoning of two people exposed to a deadly nerve agent.

Sajid Javid said Sunday that both towns remain open for business and urged people to visit.

More than 100 police officers are working to try and locate a small vial believed to have contained the nerve agent Novichok, which was manufactured in the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

The never agent was used in the March attack on an ex-Russian spy and his daughter, and two Britons have been critically ill since they were exposed to it eight days ago.</s>Police have said they were exposed after touching a contaminated item with their hands.

– How did they come into contact with the nerve agent?

Dawn Sturgess, 44, has died after being exposed to a nerve agent. Charlie Rowley, 45, who was also exposed to the nerve agent, is critically ill in hospital.

The same type of chemical weapon was used in the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury in March.

A murder investigation has been launched after a woman died following exposure to a nerve agent in Wiltshire.

Not yet. On Sunday police said detectives were working “as quickly and as diligently as possible to identify the source of the contamination, but this has not been established at this time”.

– Have the authorities conclusively linked Amesbury to the Salisbury case?

Not yet, although the signs are that the investigation is moving in that direction. The possibility that the two investigations might be linked is “clearly a key line of inquiry”, Scotland Yard said.

– Was the nerve agent at the centre of the Amesbury alert the same type as the one used in Salisbury?

Yes, in both cases tests by Government experts detected Novichok, a highly potent nerve agent.

– Is the substance found in Amesbury from the same batch?

This has not been established either way. On Sunday, police said they are “not in a position to say whether the nerve agent was from the same batch that the Skripals were exposed to”.

– Did Ms Sturgess and Mr Rowley go to any of the same locations as the Skripals?

There is no evidence that they visited any of the sites decontaminated following the attempted murders of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in March, according to investigators.

– Who was responsible for the Salisbury attack?

The UK Government has pointed the finger at the Russian government – an allegation the Kremlin denies.

– Has anyone been identified as a suspect in that case?

Not publicly. Police say their “complex” investigation remains ongoing.
A British woman dies after being exposed to the Novichok nerve agent several days earlier in Amesbury.