Jayden Parkinson police say investigation is now murder inquiry

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/dec/14/jayden-parkinson-police-murder-inquiry

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Police in Oxfordshire searching for the missing teenager Jayden Parkinson have confirmed their missing person investigation is now a murder inquiry, although they have not yet found a body.

The 17-year-old, from Oxford, has been missing for nearly two weeks and she has not used her bank card or mobile phone since then. Thames Valley police have said a young man seen struggling with a suitcase in the area could hold the key to her disappearance and that they are eager to talk to him.

Police have already arrested two men, aged 17 and 22, on suspicion of murder in connection with Parkinson's disappearance.

The younger man was arrested after he attended a police station in Oxfordshire, while the 22-year-old was arrested at an address in Reading on Thursday night. Forensic officers have been examining the property.

Parkinson was last seen mid-afternoon on 3 December and failed to return home that evening as planned.

Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Murray said police were now focused on trying to find a man who was seen with a large suitcase in a field in the small village of Upton in the early hours of 9 December.

"That suitcase was large. It was heavy. It was difficult to manage and that man was having difficulty removing that suitcase from that area," he said.

Murray said the same man was seen in nearby Didcot about half-an-hour later.

He has been described as around 20, white, about 1.68m tall, of medium to slim build with short dark hair. The suitcase was about 90cm by 60cm and about 40cm deep, light-coloured and probably made of canvas material.

Murray said police were also searching addresses Jayden may be associated with.

He said the Parkinson family were still hoping for the best.

"As you might imagine, they are distraught," he said. "They've still got hope, but they are distraught and they want their daughter to come home."

But Murray said the fact the teenager had not used her phone or accessed her bank account since her disappearance could indicate a worst-case scenario.

"I'm afraid the detective in me leads me to conclude that Jayden may well have been murdered and that's why we have approximately 50 detectives out there still trying to find Jayden, still trying to find evidence that might lead to somebody being convicted if she has been murdered," he said.

Parkinson is white, of slim build with shoulder-length dark brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing light blue faded jeans, a brown hooded top with red lettering on it, a black waist-length jacket and dark trainers when she was last seen.

It is believed she walked through Oxford town centre on 3 December and arrived at the train station at 4.07pm, where she boarded a train to Didcot. The last sighting of her was when she left Didcot train station at around 4.27pm.

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