COLLEAGUES have been paying tribute to 'kind-hearted' Okehampton solicitor Sian Rees, 50, who was found dead on Friday.
Ms Rees' partner John Francis Doyle, 54, of Merton Mill, appeared before Exeter Magistrates on Monday, accused of her murder.
The body of Sian Rees was found in a vehicle on the A386 between Hatherleigh and Okehampton following an incident on Friday morning.
Ms Rees had worked at the Okehampton branch of Peter, Peter and Wright solicitors since 2006, specialising in matrimonial work.
Her colleagues said this week they were 'deeply saddened' to learn of her death: 'She was very popular and will be sadly missed by all of us and by her clients,' they said in a message posted on the firm's website.
'She was a cheerful and dedicated solicitor and it is difficult to believe she is no longer with us.'
Ms Rees moved down from the Wirral and took on an ambitious renovation project, having moved into a beautiful but run down property near Hatherleigh.
Her aim was to create a rural paradise and she got great joy from sitting and reading in her idyllic garden, which had been created with great skill and flair, added her colleagues.
'Sian was a very private person, she had no children of her own but was godmother and "adopted" auntie to the children of her small but close-knit circle of old friends who all adored her and will greatly miss her. She shared her home with her three cats, on whom she doted.
'Sian was an incredibly kind-hearted and generous person with a warm smile, always willing to help her clients and her professional colleagues, always willing to go that extra mile.'
Mr Doyle has been remanded in custody to appear at Exeter Crown Court at a later date.