Brenda Leyland, 63, was identified as one of the people posting online hate messages aimed at the McCanns. Above, Mrs Leyland pictured this week 
 
 A church-going mother who was accused of trolling Madeleine McCann’s parents has been found dead in a hotel room. 
 
 Brenda Leyland, 63, was found dead at a Marriott hotel on Saturday around 15 miles from her immaculately kept village home. 
 
 Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious. 
 
 Divorcee Mrs Leyland had been identified as one of a number of online ‘trolls’ posting a series of abusive comments about Kate and Gerry McCann, by Sky News last Thursday. 
 
 She told a reporter who confronted her that she had been ‘entitled’ to make the comments using her Twitter identity @Sweepyface. 
 
 Yesterday, her son, Ben, 20, who is said to be studying law in Los Angeles, posted the following brief tribute: ‘I love you mum and I will miss you forever’. His friends then began passing on their condolences on the site. 
 
 Last night, neighbours of Mrs Leyland, who had continued using her married name, told of their shock at her death. 
 
 One said: ‘Brenda kept herself very much to herself, but people were surprised when she was accused of trolling the McCanns. You don’t expect something that like around here. It’s a very quiet place. 
 
 ‘But the village will be shocked by this news. I’m sure no-one would have expected her to do something like this. People didn’t condone what she is said to have done, but it is obviously very sad when anybody is found dead.’ 
 
 Burton Overy was mentioned in the Domesday Book and is just 15 miles from the McCanns’ home in Rothley, Leicestershire. 
 
 Mrs Leyland, who was educated at a convent school and studied at Goldsmiths, University of London, is among a group of hate-filled critics of Kate and Gerry McCann who have posted hundreds of vile messages about the couple online. 
 
 The trollers wrongly believe the McCanns were involved in their daughter’s disappearance. 
 
 Among the many comments attributed to Mrs Leyland on Twitter was one that said: ‘Q ‘how long must the Mccanns suffer’ answer ‘for the rest of their miserable lives’.’ 
 
 On Friday, the day after her interview was broadcast, she disappeared from her home Leicestershire, neighbours said. 
 
 Sky News said today in a statement: 'We were saddened to hear of the death of Brenda Leyland. It would be inappropriate to speculate or comment further at this time.' 
 
 Last week the father of Madeleine McCann called for an example to be made of ‘vile’ internet trolls who have been targeting the family. 
 
 Gerry McCann said he had ‘grave concerns’ about letting his nine-year-old twins use the internet after threats of violence and kidnapping. 
 
 The comments, in an interview with the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, came after it emerged that police are looking at a dossier of abuse posted on Twitter, Facebook and chat forums. 
 
 Mr McCann, whose daughter Madeleine went missing in Praia da Luz in 2007, said he and wife Kate did not read such material because it was too 'upsetting'. 
 
 Mr McCann said. ‘Clearly something needs to be done about the abuse on the internet. I’m glad to say that there have been a number of people where police have taken action. 
 
 ‘I think we probably need more people charged.’ 
 
 Asked about ‘@sweepyface’, Mr McCann said: 'I haven’t read her tweets ... I think that is an issue, that our behaviour is modified by this. 
 
 Mrs Leyland was found dead at the Leicester Marriott Hotel, pictured, around 15 miles from her home 
 
 ‘We do not have any significant presence on social media or online. And I’ve got grave concerns about our children as they grow up and start to access the internet in an unsupervised capacity. 
 
 ‘There have been other instances where people are threatening to kidnap our children. People are threatening violence against Kate and myself. 
 
 ‘Of course it’s not just us - it is many other people who happen to find themselves in rather tragic circumstances. 
 
 ‘I’m glad to see the law around this area is being reviewed. But I do think we need to make examples of people who are causing damage.’ 
 
 The troll investigation featured in numerous newspapers including The Guardian, The Independent, The Sun, The Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Daily Star, The Daily Express as well as the Daily Mail after Sky News exposed her identity as one of the trolls who targeted the McCanns. 
 
 Residents of Burton Overy, pictured, where Mrs Leyland lived, were shocked to hear of her death. Her home is not pictured here 
 
 Scotland Yard is currently investigating the posting online of hundreds of hate messages aimed at the McCanns, both aged 46, whose daughter disappeared during a family holiday to Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007 
 
 A Leicestershire Police spokeswoman said: ‘Police were called at 1.42pm on Saturday 4 October to reports of a body of a woman in a hotel room in Smith Way, Grove Park, Leicester. 
 
 ‘Officers have attended the scene and a file is being prepared for the coroner. Identification of the deceased is a matter of the coroner. The death is not being treated as suspicious.’ 
 
 McCann spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: ‘Kate and Gerry will not be saying anything. It is entirely a matter for the police.’ 
 
 A spokesman for the Marriott hotel said he had nothing to add beyond the police statement. 
 
 Scotland Yard is currently investigating the posting online of hundreds of hate messages aimed at the McCanns, both aged 46, whose daughter disappeared during a family holiday to Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007, when she was aged three.The couple also have twins, aged nine. 
 
 Brenda Leyland's body was found in the Marriott Hotel in Leicestershire - around 15 miles from her home and from the McCanns' home 
 
 Using the Twitter handle @sweepyface, Mrs Leyland posted dozens of messages attacking the McCann family 
 
 Detectives have decided to act after being given a dossier from McCann family supporters which catalogues the abusive remarks - including death threats - aimed at the couple on Twitter, Facebook and online forums. 
 
 A Metropolitan Police spokesman last week confirmed officers were assessing the contents of ‘documentation’ which has been passed to officers and were consulting with the Crown Prosecution Service and the McCanns. 
 
 Last night, a spokesman for Marriott Hotels International Ltd said: ‘We are very sad to confirm the death of a guest at the Leicester Marriott Hotel and our thoughts go out to the family and friends of the deceased. As this is a police matter and an investigation is underway, we are unable to comment further and enquiries should be directed to the police.’ ||||| Image copyright Brenda Leyland Image caption Brenda Leyland was said to use the handle @sweepyface on Twitter 
 
 A 63-year-old woman who was accused of targeting internet abuse at the family of Madeleine McCann has been found dead in a hotel. 
 
 Brenda Leyland, from Burton Overy, Leicestershire, was accused of being one of the so-called "trolls" directing abusive messages at the McCanns. 
 
 Her body was found days after she was confronted outside her home by a Sky News reporter. 
 
 Madeleine McCann disappeared while on holiday in Portugal in 2007. 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Psychologist Dr Arthur Cassidy: McCann Twitter troll had "unusual background" 
 
 Mrs Leyland was confronted by the reporter who put to her she had posted messages attacking the family on Twitter via the handle @sweepyface. 
 
 She replied: "I'm entitled to do that." 
 
 A spokesman for Leicestershire Police said: "Police were called at 13:42 on Saturday 4 October to reports of a body of a woman in a hotel room in Smith Way, Grove Park [in Leicester]. 
 
 "Officers have attended the scene and a file is being prepared for the coroner. The death is not being treated as suspicious." 
 
 Sky issued a statement saying: "We were saddened to hear of the death of Brenda Leyland. It would be inappropriate to speculate or comment further at this time." 
 
 A statement released by the Marriott Hotel in Leicester read: "We are very sad to confirm the death of a guest at the Leicester Marriott Hotel and our thoughts go out to the family and friends of the deceased." 
 
 On Friday, Madeleine's father, Gerry McCann, told the BBC: "Clearly something needs to be done about the abuse on the internet. 
 
 "I think we probably need more people charged." 
 
 He described how he and his wife Kate, who live in Rothley, Leicestershire with their nine-year-old twins, did not read posts about them on the internet because it was too "upsetting". 
 
 His interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme followed the news police were reviewing a dossier of abusive messages about the family on social media, although the Met Police said nobody had been interviewed in connection with the investigation. 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Daniel Sandford reports following the death of Brenda Leyland 
 
 In a list of thousands of tweets, apparently sent by Mrs Leyland, none of the messages are directed personally at the McCanns, who have "no significant presence" on social media. 
 
 However, many are labelled with the hashtag #mccanns which allows them to be easily found and criticised the couple following the disappearance of their daughter. 
 
 One read: "#mccann To Kate and Gerry, you will be hated by millions for the rest of your miserable, evil, conniving lives, have a nice day!" 
 
 The account has since been deleted. 
 
 Dr Arthur Cassidy, a psychologist who specialises in social media, said Mrs Leyland appeared to have a middle class upbringing which was unusual in trolling. 
 
 He said: "In this particular case, her whole repertoire of trolling is slightly different from those of well-seasoned trolls because of her uniqueness and the way she has done this. 
 
 "It would signify to me that she has been quite a novice at this." 
 
 Dr Cassidy said typically, trolls sought and enjoyed a response from their victims but that did not appear to have been the case here. 
 
 Mrs Leyland's son tweeted a tribute to his mum, writing simply: "I love you mum and I will miss you forever." 
 
 Supporters of the 63-year-old have established a Facebook page, with several people posting tributes and condolences to her family. ||||| Brenda Leyland was confronted by TV reporter over claims she sent abuse on Twitter about Madeleine McCann’s disappearance 
 
 A body, believed to be that of a woman accused of trolling the family of missing schoolgirl Madeleine McCann online, was found in a hotel room in Leicester on Saturday, police have said. 
 
 Brenda Leyland, 63, was confronted by a television news reporter over the claim that she used Twitter to post a series of comments attacking the McCanns , whose daughter disappeared in Portugal in 2007. 
 
 She was said to have left her home after the exchange last week about the claims. But no direct link can be made between the incident and her death, which officers said was not being treated as suspicious. 
 
 On Facebook, her son Ben Leyland wrote: “I love you mum and I will miss you forever.” 
 
 In an earlier exchange on the site, Ms Leyland wrote that her son was “the loveliest son and nicest person” she had ever met, asking, “How lucky am I?” 
 
 He responded: “I’d say pretty lucky, but then again, who’d have expected anything less of my mother’s son?!” 
 
 In a report aired on Sky News last Wednesday, Ms Leyland was accused of being one of dozens of people to have aimed online attacks at Kate and Gerry McCann. She was confronted as she was getting into her car by Sky News’ crime correspondent Martin Brunt, who asked her why she had done so. 
 
 Initially reluctant to answer, she eventually responded with “I’m entitled to”. It was claimed she used her Twitter account – using the alias “sweepyface” – to send abuse to the family. 
 
 When she was told that a file of evidence had been passed to the police, she said: “That’s fair enough.” 
 
 Later, Leyland invited the reporter into her home and, off-camera, explained that she “had questions for the McCanns” but “hoped she hadn’t broken the law” in her online posts. 
 
 In the Sky report, she was said not to be the worst of the alleged online abusers. 
 
 The next day, neighbours said they believed she had fled the small village in rural Leicestershire, where she has lived for nearly 15 years. 
 
 A neighbour, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Leicester Mercury: “Somebody took a photo of [Ms Leyland] on Thursday afternoon and then she was gone. I haven’t seen her since.” Others said they feared for her safety after it became apparent she had fled. 
 
 According to Sky News, the Metropolitan police said it was investigating claims of online abuse sent to the McCanns. 
 
 The force wrote to those accused of sending the messages: “in consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service and the McCann family, the material will now be assessed and decisions made” as to what further action if any should be undertaken.” 
 
 A Leicestershire police spokeswoman said: “Police were called at 1.42pm on Saturday 4 October to reports of a body of a woman in a hotel room in Smith Way, Grove Park. 
 
 “Officers have attended the scene and a file is being prepared for the coroner. Identification of the deceased is a matter for the coroner. 
 
 “The death is not being treated as suspicious.” 
 
 A Sky News spokesman did not respond to requests for comment. 
 
 • If you are having suicidal thoughts, please contact the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14.
– A woman accused of taking part in an online hate campaign against the parents of missing girl Madeleine McCann has been found dead days after she was confronted by a reporter. Brenda Leyland, a 63-year-old described by the Daily Mail as a "church-going mother," was found in a hotel room about 15 miles from her home in Leicestershire, England, Saturday, and police say they're not treating the death as suspicious. Leyland was identified last week as one of dozens of people who had abused Kate and Gerry McCann online, and when a Sky News reporter confronted her and told her evidence had been passed to the police, she said she was "entitled" to send messages attacking them, reports the Guardian. Under the Twitter name "sweepyface," Leyland accused the McCanns of being involved in the disappearance of their 3-year-old daughter, who vanished in Portugal in 2007, and said they deserved to suffer "for the rest of their miserable lives." Last week, Gerry McCann told the BBC that "something needs to be done about the abuse on the Internet" and "I think we probably need more people charged." He said that he and Kate find online comments directed at them too upsetting to read, and that he has "grave concerns" about what will happen when their twins, now 9 years old, start using the Internet as they get older. Click for the latest in the search for Maddy.