There could be another big Emmerdale twist on the cards following a murder discovery.

Part of a decomposing body was shown in a lake earlier this week, after Amy Wyatt fell through ice. As she saw the arm she was horrified amid her fight for survival following a limo crash. Her fate remains up in the air with her yet to be able to tell anyone about her discovery. Fans have already come to the sad conclusion that the body in the lake is Nate Robinson.

Cain Dingle’s son fled the village in September last year following a showdown over a misunderstanding. He was last seen with John Sugden, and has since cut off all contact with his family, not even speaking to young daughter Frankie.

So when the arm appeared onscreen with the same jacket sleeve and bracelet Nate had been wearing the day he left months ago, fans were sure he was actually dead. Someone would have had to have killed him for the body to end up in the lake, and immediate speculation fell on John.

John disposed of the body of murdered Anthony Fox with ease just weeks ago, and he’s been acting shifty and secretive for months ever since he arrived. But now some fans think this is too obvious.

They also think it’s too obvious to be Caleb Miligan, Nate’s uncle, after his own shady behaviour. While some fans questioned if Caleb killed his nephew after a row, others think that someone else entirely is to blame. After watching back past episodes, one viewer noted that someone in particular was acting weirdly around the time Nate left. They would also have a grievance with Nate that could be a motive for his demise.

The theory claimed Tom King, the abusive husband of Nate’s aunt Belle Dingle, might have murdered him. Could he have targeted Nate to get at Belle, or to cover up his abuse at the time? With him set to make a return for scenes, one fan theorised: “I’ve gone back to watch the barn fire episodes out of curiosity and noticed Tom going on an angry walk. If the body in the lake is Nate (which seems likely), I think Tom is who put him there.

“Belle had just made it public knowledge, and Tom is seen telling Jimmy he’s angry and needs to go for a walk. At the same time, Nate is talking to John and is never seen again.

“As Tom is back on screen this week after he’d seemingly filmed his last, I think that’s the real reason he’s returned for a flashback murder scene. It’s possibly a stretch, but I just think John seems too obvious and is possibly a well placed red herring.”