A busy road in the Greenstead estate, Colchester, was temporarily closed this afternoon after a member of the public spotted a knife.
The passer-by, Michael Cooper, was returning home from the Hunwick Parade shops when he saw the red-handled blade lying in Hawthornn Avenue.
He told a police patrol which was in the area as part of week anniversary enquiries following the murder of Saudi Arabian Essex University student Nahid Almanea on a nearby footpath last Tuesday.
Officers immediately sealed off the road and a forensic expert handled the scene.
The knife has now been taken away for testing to see if it is linked to the killing of Ms Almanea.
Mr Cooper said: “I thought it might be something or nothing, but the police have certainly taken it seriously.”
Read more about the latest appeal for information in the investigation here.
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