Tributes have been paid to a Nottingham student whose alleged murder is being linked to the death of a man on the M1.
Claire Nagle, nee Paton, was found fatally injured at a house in Borrowash on Friday, minutes before Vincent Nagle was hit and killed by a vehicle on the motorway near Trowell Services.
The incident led to the route being closed in both directions for several hours, causing tailbacks across the East Midlands.
Police are linking the two incidents and are treating Claire’s death as murder.
Claire, 38, was studying at the University of Nottingham and was also a former student of Nottingham Law School at Nottingham Trent University.
She was found injured at a house on Charnwood Avenue in the Derbyshire village about 11am on Friday and died later in hospital.
A 22-year-old man, related to both Claire and Vincent, was also injured at a house on Station Road in Borrowash and raised the alarm, around 30 minutes before Mr Nagle was hit and killed on the M1.
Claire was studying to become a mental health nurse at the university.
Professor Joanne Lymn, Dean and Head of the School of Health Sciences, said: “Claire was a well-loved member of our community who was fully expected to become an excellent mental health nurse.
“She was highly dedicated, compassionate, warm and kind and her loss will be felt deeply by us all. Our hearts go out to her family and friends.
“The school community is now coming together so we can support each other. We are offering access to counselling and welfare services for students and staff, so that we can start to support each other in coming to terms with this tragic loss.”
The M1 was closed in both directions on Friday (December 16) between junctions 25 and 26 near Trowell Services at around 11.30am, the road was not fully re-opened in until after 6pm.
The 22-year-old man who was injured at the house on Station Road remains in the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, where he is receiving treatment for head injuries.
The family of Claire also released a statement. Her father Martin Paton said: “We believe this was a tragic incident for everyone involved and their families.
“We don’t want to apportion any blame and wish to be left alone to grieve as a family.
“We’d also like to thank everyone who has offered us messages of support.”
Speaking on Saturday (December 17), Derbyshire Police thanked those who were affected by the road closure for their patience.
Chief Superintendent Jim Allen, area commander for south Derbyshire, said: “I’m very grateful for the patience and understanding of the many thousands of people affected by this incident; closing a motorway is not a decision taken lightly at any time.
“In a fast-moving situation, with several scenes of crime, the death of two people and another seriously injured, it was vitally important that officers established whether any other people were involved.
“We can now confirm that at this time we are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident, which involved people who were related to each other.
“It was also important that we gathered all the available evidence from the motorway yesterday and that takes time.
“It has to be done in detail and with sensitivity when removing a body from the road.
“We always try to keep some lanes running if possible, but on this occasion it could not be done safely.”
Inquests into the deaths will be opened at 2pm tomorrow (Tuesday, December 20) by Derbyshire Coroner Dr Robert Hunter.
