Claire Chick, aged 48, was pronounced dead in the early hours of Thursday after being taken to the hospital with serious injuries. She was discovered on West Hoe Road shortly before 9:00 PM GMT on Wednesday.
Her family honored her memory, describing her as an “energetic and beautiful soul” who deeply cared for others.
On Thursday, Devon and Cornwall Police arrested 53-year-old Paul Antony Butler on suspicion of murder. Ms Chick, 48, was a lecturer at the University of Plymouth – hundreds of comments have flooded social media from her students, both past and present.
Claire’s social media profiles indicate that she was a lecturer in adult nursing at the university. Her career began as a cardiac care unit nurse at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. She later earned teaching qualifications and advanced to become a senior cardiac research nurse and trial coordinator at the University of Leicester.
Subsequently, she joined the University of Plymouth, initially as a lecturer in adult nursing. She later progressed to deputy BSc (Hons) program lead and ultimately served as Associate Head of School for Internationalisation, as stated on her LinkedIn profile.
In a statement released by police, her family said: “We are absolutely devastated and broken at the loss of our beautiful caring mother Claire Chick.
“She was the most beautiful lively soul and was there for everyone.
“Everyone who knew our mum had so much positive words to say about her. She was the life and soul of any place where she was.
“She loved to dance and sing, even though she was pretty bad at it; she had no shame in doing it in front of any audience.
“We will never get over this as a family, she was our glue and our go-to. We won’t ever get the justice our mum deserves for this, because no amount of justice will bring her back.
“We want to thank everyone for their kind words, and we invite anyone who knew her to share their memories of her.
“We also would like to remind the public she leaves behind five beautiful grandchildren who all refer to her as ‘a favourite grandma’.
“We ask you to respect their privacy, and everyone remains respectful to them.
“She may be gone but her spirit will always remain alive. We love you mum, and we promise to make you proud.”
