Investigation
The incident was investigated by the Specialist Operations Directorate of the Metropolitan Police, assisted nationally by the National Counter Terrorism Policing Network and locally by Wiltshire Police, in a multi-agency response named Operation Fortis.[13] According to the Metropolitan Police, there was nothing in either of the victims' backgrounds to suggest that they were deliberately targeted, and there were no other reports of people presenting with similar symptoms. The couple was believed to have been near the roads that were sealed off during the investigation of the Skripal poisoning in Salisbury.[14]
During initial assessment, medical staff believed that the patients' illness was caused by the use of contaminated illegal drugs. But on 2 July, hospital staff had concerns over the symptoms the couple were displaying, and sent samples from both patients to the Government's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) at Porton Down for analysis. On 4 July the laboratory confirmed that the patients had been exposed to the Novichok nerve agent.[2][15]
According to BBC News, the "most likely hypothesis" was that the Novichok was left over from the attack on the Skripals, and that the contaminated item which poisoned the couple "could be a vial or syringe because of the couple's lifestyle", as it was believed the Novichok was disposed of "in a haphazard way".[16] Friends of the couple told The Guardian that Rowley frequently scavenged recycling bins for objects that he could sell, and that the couple's houses contained "loads of household things" they had picked up.[17]
Sites in both Amesbury and Salisbury which were believed to have been visited by the couple were cordoned off. These included the local Boots Pharmacy, the Baptist Centre, and Muggleton Road in Amesbury, and Queen Elizabeth Gardens in Salisbury.[15] Local residents were warned of an increased police presence, including officers wearing protective equipment.[15]
On 6 July, police announced that officers had identified and spoken to several key witnesses and were reviewing more than 1,300 hours of CCTV footage which has been collected so far.[18]
On 13 July a police cordon closed the north end of Rollestone Street, Salisbury to enable members of the Counter Terrorism Policing Network to search John Baker House, a hostel for the homeless where Dawn Sturgess lived. On 24 July the cordon was lifted and the police announced that no contamination was found in the hostel.[19]
The Metropolitan Police announced on 13 July 2018[20][21] that they had identified the source of the nerve agent that poisoned Sturgess and Rowley as being a "small bottle" discovered at Rowley's house in Amesbury, which was confirmed by analysis at DSTL Porton Down to contain Novichok. Matthew Rowley, brother of the victim, said Charlie told him that he had picked up "the perfume bottle". The Metropolitan Police refused to confirm this claim.[22]
Also on 13 July, the intergovernmental Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) received a request from the UK for technical assistance on the incident in Amesbury. The OPCW sent a team of specialists who collected samples and sent them to two laboratories. By 18 July, preliminary work was completed and the team left the UK.[23]
On 7 August 2018, the Foreign Office announced that OPCW experts would return to Amesbury to collect further samples. A spokesman said: "During their visit, the OPCW's experts will collect more samples to inform their work following their visit in July. The samples will be analysed at highly reputable international laboratories designated by the OPCW."[24] The poison was confirmed on 4 September by the OPCW to be the same kind of nerve agent as that used on the Skripals, but the OPCW also said that it could not determine if it was from the same batch.[25]
On 5 September 2018, Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said the police had "no doubt" that this incident was connected to the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. He said, "we do not believe Dawn and Charlie were deliberately targeted, but became victims as a result of the recklessness in which such a toxic nerve agent was disposed of."[26] On the same date, the Metropolitan Police released a detailed description of the Salisbury poisoning and named Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov as the suspects wanted.[27] The announcement went on to state that the investigation into the Amesbury poisoning was ongoing by the Police and the Crown Prosecution Service, and further charges relating to Sturgess and Rowley would follow.[28][needs update]
Inquest
The inquest for Sturgess was opened and adjourned by HM Coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon in Salisbury on 19 July 2018, with a Pre-Inquest Review listed for 16 January 2019.[29][30] This was delayed, in part because the Crown Prosecution Service requested a suspension in view of the ongoing criminal investigation.[31] The Senior Coroner, David Ridley, issued a 31-page ruling[31] on the scope of the inquest on 20 December 2019, but no date for the full inquest was given.[32] A preliminary hearing was held in March 2023. The UK government said that the delay in conducting the inquest was due to its desire to redact evidence to protect national security. Sturgess' family expressed disappointment at the delay and requested that the government release some of the material related to Sturgess' death. The start date for the inquiry was set as 14 October 2024.[33]