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> 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> 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> (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> A couple poisoned in Amesbury were exposed to Novichok - the same substance that almost killed a Russian spy and his daughter.

Charlie Rowley, 45, and 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess were named by friends as the pair who fell critically ill after being exposed to the never agent.

In a press conference this evening, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu confirmed the substance was Novichok.

He said there is no intelligence to say the pair were "targeted" in any way.

Mr Basu said it was "a line of inquiry" over whether the latest poisoning was linked to that of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury in March.

Charlie and Dawn were found unconscious at a property on Saturday, with one friend describing how Charlie was "garbling" and acting like a "zombie".

The couple's flat is around eight miles from where Russian Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with Novichok in March this year.

Today, a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergencies committee took place at official level in the Cabinet Office to discuss the events.

It was understood samples of the substance were sent to the Government chemical weapons research laboratory at Porton Down.

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In a press statement this evening, Mr Basu said: "Earlier today, Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills, from Wiltshire Police gave an update on the situation. However, I can confirm tonight that there has been a significant development and that the Counter Terrorism Policing Network is now leading the investigation into this incident.

"This evening we have received test results from Porton Down that show the two people have been exposed to the nerve agent Novichok.

"At approximately 10:15hrs on Saturday, 30 June, the South West Ambulance Service was called to a residential address in Amesbury, where a 44-year-old woman had collapsed. She was subsequently taken to hospital.

"At around 15:30hrs that day, the ambulance service was called back to the same address, where a 45-year-old man had also fallen ill. The man was taken to hospital and Wiltshire Police were informed. </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> 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> Police in the United Kingdom have ruled out the possibility that two people who fell ill after eating at a restaurant in Salisbury had been exposed to the nerve agent Novichok.

Wiltshire police declared a "major incident" on Sunday evening after it came to light that a man and woman had become unwell at a Prezzo restaurant, six months after a former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter Julia became the victims of Novichok poisoning in the same city.

"Due to recent events in the city and concerns that the pair had been exposed to an unknown substance, a highly precautionary approach was taken by all emergency services," police said in a statement.

"We can now confirm that there is nothing to suggest that Novichok is the substance," added the statement.

The pair were taken to Salisbury District Hospital, police said.

Police said it was "not yet clear" if a crime had been committed and that inquiries remained ongoing.

Skripal and his daughter were poisoned in March with Novichok, a nerve agent fabricated in Russia, and have since recovered after spending weeks hospitalized.

Weeks later in the nearby town of Amesbury, a British woman called Dawn Sturgess died having become ill after handling a bottle of perfume that contained Novichok.

Her partner, Charlie Rowley, also became ill but managed to make a recovery.

The UK has said Russia is behind the Novichok attack on the Skripals and accused two Russian citizens identified as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov of poisoning the ex-spy and his daughter. </s> Police officers guard outside a branch of Boots pharmacy, which has been cordoned off after two people were hospitalised and police declared a 'major incident', in Amesbury Thomson Reuters

AMESBURY, England (Reuters) - Britain's counter-terrorism chief said on Wednesday that two people who are critically ill in hospital in Wiltshire were exposed to the Novichok nerve agent, the same toxin that was used in an attack on ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal.

The man and woman, both British, were found unwell at a house in Amesbury on Saturday, close to Salisbury where Skripal and his daughter were poisoned with nerve agent in March.
A British woman dies after being exposed to the Novichok nerve agent several days earlier in Amesbury.