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| Man arrested on suspicion of murdering author Helen Bailey | Man arrested on suspicion of murdering author Helen Bailey |
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| A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering the children’s author Helen Bailey, three months after she disappeared. | A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering the children’s author Helen Bailey, three months after she disappeared. |
| Bailey, 51, who wrote the Electra Brown and Daisy Davenport series, was reported missing by her partner Ian Stewart, 55, on 15 April, four days after he said he had last seen her at their £1.2m home in Royston, Hertfordshire. | Bailey, 51, who wrote the Electra Brown and Daisy Davenport series, was reported missing by her partner Ian Stewart, 55, on 15 April, four days after he said he had last seen her at their £1.2m home in Royston, Hertfordshire. |
| A 55-year-old man was arrested by Hertfordshire police on Monday on suspicion of murder, disposing of a body in a manner likely to obstruct the coroner, and theft of money belonging to Bailey. | A 55-year-old man was arrested by Hertfordshire police on Monday on suspicion of murder, disposing of a body in a manner likely to obstruct the coroner, and theft of money belonging to Bailey. |
| The man remained in custody on Tuesday as police officers continued to search the home Bailey shared with Stewart and his two sons, as well as their holiday home in Broadstairs, Kent, where friends initially said they believed the author might have gone for “some time to herself”. | The man remained in custody on Tuesday as police officers continued to search the home Bailey shared with Stewart and his two sons, as well as their holiday home in Broadstairs, Kent, where friends initially said they believed the author might have gone for “some time to herself”. |
| “Significant inquiries and searches have already been made as part of the investigation to trace Helen, and further searches at her home address in Royston and an address in Broadstairs in Kent are taking place,” a spokesman for Hertfordshire police said. It is understood a body has not been found. | “Significant inquiries and searches have already been made as part of the investigation to trace Helen, and further searches at her home address in Royston and an address in Broadstairs in Kent are taking place,” a spokesman for Hertfordshire police said. It is understood a body has not been found. |
| The couple’s large detached house with outdoor swimming pool has been cordoned off, with a high metal fence enclosing the property. Forensic officers in white suits have been seen inside the property and a tarpaulin tent has been set up at the front of the house. | The couple’s large detached house with outdoor swimming pool has been cordoned off, with a high metal fence enclosing the property. Forensic officers in white suits have been seen inside the property and a tarpaulin tent has been set up at the front of the house. |
| As well as writing children’s fiction, Bailey set up a blog, Planet Grief, where she described her struggle to cope with the sudden death of her husband, John Sinfield, who drowned during a holiday in Barbados in 2011. | As well as writing children’s fiction, Bailey set up a blog, Planet Grief, where she described her struggle to cope with the sudden death of her husband, John Sinfield, who drowned during a holiday in Barbados in 2011. |
| Her memoir of her grief, When Bad Things Happen in Good Bikinis, was published last year, and recounts how she met Stewart, whose wife died in 2011, through a bereavement group. | Her memoir of her grief, When Bad Things Happen in Good Bikinis, was published last year, and recounts how she met Stewart, whose wife died in 2011, through a bereavement group. |
| Stewart told police officers that Bailey had left a note to say she needed some time to herself and was going to Broadstairs. After a few days passed, Stewart said he visited the Broadstairs property and discovered she was not there. | Stewart told police officers that Bailey had left a note to say she needed some time to herself and was going to Broadstairs. After a few days passed, Stewart said he visited the Broadstairs property and discovered she was not there. |
| Apart from a sighting of the author walking her dachshund Boris near her home on the afternoon she vanished, and a possible sighting of her the next day in a “bedraggled” state walking along a road 10 miles away, there have been no further sightings of her. She has not contacted friends or family, used her mobile phone or withdrawn any cash from her bank accounts. | Apart from a sighting of the author walking her dachshund Boris near her home on the afternoon she vanished, and a possible sighting of her the next day in a “bedraggled” state walking along a road 10 miles away, there have been no further sightings of her. She has not contacted friends or family, used her mobile phone or withdrawn any cash from her bank accounts. |
| In May, a month after she was last seen walking her dog, which is also missing, Stewart issued a written appeal. “You bring so much to so many people in ways you don’t even realise,” he said. | In May, a month after she was last seen walking her dog, which is also missing, Stewart issued a written appeal. “You bring so much to so many people in ways you don’t even realise,” he said. |
| “You not only mended my heart five years ago, but made it bigger, stronger and kinder. Together we learned to live with our grief and move forward with our lives, but never forgetting. Now it feels like my heart doesn’t even exist.” | “You not only mended my heart five years ago, but made it bigger, stronger and kinder. Together we learned to live with our grief and move forward with our lives, but never forgetting. Now it feels like my heart doesn’t even exist.” |
| Shelley Whitehead, Bailey’s bereavement councillor, said she “absolutely gutted” when she learned an arrest had been made. “My overwhelming feeling is I feel sick to my stomach,” she said. | |
| “She was a brilliant writer, she was accomplished in everything she did. She cooked magnificently, she baked magnificently. She wrote wonderfully. She would have you laughing and crying in the turn of a sentence.As her coach I got to really understand and love this woman, who was resourceful and loved to make a difference. She would speak to anybody, she was very approachable.” | |
| One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said he and his wife were deeply shocked by the arrest and the suggestion Bailey could have been murdered. “They are a lovely couple,” he said. “My wife was very friendly with Helen. She would do anything for you. We would often see her walking the dog.”At Christmas, they would have a get together for all the neighbours.” She was a lovely lady and my wife and I are in shock and very upset - everyone round here is very upset.” |