Coronation Street shock as body found in Joel Deering case and murder investigation launched

As viewers of the ITV soap know, Joel Deering is currently missing

The residents of Weatherfield are in for a shock in upcoming scenes as a body is found and a murder investigation is launched in Coronation Street.

As viewers of the ITV soap know, Joel Deering is currently missing with an assumption he has taken his own life after he was set to face court for some of his evil crimes.

Earlier this year it was revealed that Joel, played by Calum Lill, was Lauren Bolton’s ‘secret boyfriend’ and was behind her disappearance and presumed murder after he was seen attacking her with a chair leg.

Luckily, the teen survived and returned to Weatherfield over the summer when Roy Cropper fell ill following his release from prison after being wrongly accused of being behind Lauren’s disappearance and presumed murder.

After Lauren’s return, Joel’s partner Dee-Dee Bailey discovered what her fiancé had been up to and has since teamed up with DS Lisa Swain to bring Joel down after it was revealed that Lauren, who was pregnant when she came back to the cobbles, wasn’t the only young girl he had groomed, with Swain’s daughter Betsy also involved with him.

The pair, with the help of Betsy’s admission, managed to nail Joel for buying the drugs used to prompt Lauren’s early labour, having intended for her to miscarry, with baby Frankie’s health remaining in a fragile state.

But at the end of last month Corrie, viewers saw Joel not show up to his plea hearing and a warrant was issued for his arrest. After transferring money to Lauren and his ex-wife Emily, it was believed Joel may end up taking his own life.

**Joel hasn’t been seen since leaving a tearful message for Dee-Dee** (Image: ITV)

Dee-Dee has since remained suspicious about Joel’s sudden disappearance and she’ll be proven right next week when Kit Green and PC Craig Tinker study CCTV from a train station car park and see Joel and then his dad, Gus, around a locker. Kit then interviews Gus and demands some answers.

But later, on a riverbank, three lads spot a body floating in the water. Craig approaches DS Lisa Swain and Kit and announces that they’ve found Joel’s body. Kit steals himself to break the news to Dee Dee and Lauren at the hospital while Lisa breaks the news to people in the Rovers.

Kit calls back at the hospital and tells Lauren that the post-mortem revealed that Joel was dead before he entered the river, so they’re now looking at a murder investigation. He goes on to question Lauren about where she was on the night of Joel’s death, the 27th September while Dee-Dee tells Ed and Ronnie Bailey that Joel was murdered.

Later, Kit reveals to Lisa that Joel died from two blows to the head, inflicted by a heavy weapon, most likely a crowbar. Lisa is shocked to discover from Yasmeen Nazier that she threw Mason Radcliffe out because he had a crowbar and Betsy is intrigued when her mum tells her to stay away from Mason.

**Mason tried to dispose of the crowbar** (Image: ITV)

Betsy goes on to warn Mason that the police are onto him. And as a result, behind the factory, Mason disposes of the crowbar in a bin but is caught in the act by Kit. Dee-Dee, meanwhile, explains to Ronnie that the police believe Joel was attacked with a crowbar.

At the end of the week, Ronnie rumbles Debbie Webster’s plan for a surprise party to mark his 55th birthday. But his good mood falters when Kit and a colleague arrive to question him and Ed. Ronnie insists he was home alone the night Joel went missing, while Ed claims he was at No.3 with Dee-Dee and Michael.

Ronnie explains he last used the satnav when he and Michael helped Joel move out of his flat ages ago. At the party Michael reveals they actually drove to Joel’s flat in his car that time and Debbie realises Ronnie lied to her. What will she do?