Sky News says it is “saddened” by the death of a woman it confronted with allegations of targeting internet abuse at the family of Madeleine McCann.

Brenda Leyland, 63, was found in a hotel room in Leicester on Saturday, after being challenged outside her home by the broadcaster over claims 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. But no direct link can be made between the incident and her death, which officers said was not being treated as suspicious.

In a brief statement, Sky News said: “We were saddened to hear of the death of Brenda Leyland. It would be inappropriate to speculate or comment further at this time.”

Video footage of Leyland being confronted by Martin Brunt, Sky’s crime correspondent, about the allegations of trolling the McCanns is still available on Sky’s website and it is also on Sky’s Vine account.

In a broadcast aired last week and widely followed up by the press, Leyland was accused of being one of dozens of people to have attacked Kate and Gerry McCann via the internet. At first, Leyland refused to answer Brunt’s questions. She then said “I’m entitled to” after it was claimed she used a since-deleted Twitter account – “sweepyface” – to send abuse to the McCanns.

In Sky’s reports about what it described as “a catalogue of vile internet abuse”, Leyland was said not to be the worst of the alleged online abusers. When she was told that a file of evidence had been passed to the police, she said: “That’s fair enough.”

Leyland explained that she “had questions for the McCanns” but “hoped she hadn’t broken the law” in her online posts.

On Facebook, Leyland’s son Ben wrote: “I love you mum and I will miss you forever.”

In an earlier exchange on Facebook, 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?!”

Neighbours said they believed Leyland had fled the small village in rural Leicestershire, where she had lived for nearly 15 years.

A neighbour, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Leicester Mercury: “Somebody took a photo of [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.

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.”

Last Friday, Gerry McCann, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he had not read the alleged abusive messages, and did not intend to. But he added: “Clearly something needs to be done about the abuse on the internet. I think we probably need more people charged.”

• 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.