Fiona Holm was a Black woman with learning disabilities. She was killed in 2023 by Carl Cooper following a short relationship. Carl Cooper was found guilty of her murder in 2024 but Fiona’s body has never been found. There is an open Metropolitan police investigation exploring whether Carl Cooper and his associates disposed of Fiona’s body.
At the time of her death Carl Cooper was already under investigation for the murder of Naomi Hunte, another Black woman who also had vulnerabilities associated with her mental health. In April 2023 Fiona had reported to the Met that she had been assaulted by Carl Cooper with a screwdriver and a crowbar. The case was closed without any charges being brought against him.
Four officers are currently under investigation in relation to the decision to close Fiona’s assault case in April 2023, two months before she was killed. Fiona’s family are concerned the police failed to make appropriate adjustments for Fiona’s disabilities.
In September 2024 the Times published an article by Fiona Hamilton addressing Met Police failures prior to both deaths. In January 2025 the Guardian published a Long Read by Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff exploring the family’s journey to find Fiona’s body and the questions they have about police failure.
Savannah Holm-Aderemi, Fiona’s daughter and Elise Skillen, Fiona’s sister said:
“On the two-year anniversary of Fiona’s death we feel no closer to the truth. We have been in a living nightmare since Fiona’s murder and being unable to find her body continues to cause us an indescribable pain.
We continue with our struggle to find the truth about how Naomi and Fiona were failed by the police before their deaths. Both Naomi and Fiona were vulnerable Black women who had asked the Met to protect them from Carl Cooper. The Met knew how dangerous Carl Cooper was and the threat he posed to women. We believe that both women were let down by the Met and that their deaths could have been prevented. We are putting our faith in the IOPC to uncover the truth, to identify how both women were failed and to ensure that individual officers are held to account and that lessons can be learned from both women’s deaths.
For now, we urge any witnesses to come forward to the police if they have any information however small about Carl Cooper’s movements in June 2023. Finding Fiona’s body would allow us to lay her to rest and give her the send-off that she deserves”.
Sophie Naftalin and Erica San act for Mr Basil Hunte, Naomi’s father, and Ms Savannah Holm-Aderemi and Ms Elise Skillen, Fiona’s daughter and sister.
