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Alice Gross police make renewed appeal for information Police reconstruct Alice Gross’s last movements before disappearance
(about 4 hours later)
The family of Alice Gross, the 14-year-old girl who went missing in west London four weeks ago, have described the agony of her long disappearance as police appealed again for information and prepared to stage a reconstruction. Police have reconstructed the last known movements of Alice Gross four weeks after the 14-year-old went missing in west London, as her parents described how every day she remained missing brought them “new agony, new anguish”.
In a statement the family said: “Alice has been missing for four weeks now. We are desperately concerned about her welfare and worry constantly about what may have happened to her. The reconstruction saw an actor retrace Alice’s steps after she left her home in Hanwell around 1pm on 28 August and walked along Brentford Lock.
“We are appealing to Alice. If you are out there, to come home where you belong. We love you and we miss you. We want to see your smile again, we want to hear you sing again, to see you cuddle Peggy, or sit at the piano. We want to be a family again. Alice was last seen by a CCTV camera at 4.26pm the same day, walking under a bridge along a canal towpath heading towards Hanwell. Since then there have been no sightings. Police are seeking Arnis Zalkalns, a Latvian man with a previous conviction for murdering his wife, as a suspect. Detectives believe he came across the teenager shortly before the last known sighting of her, but that he might have fled abroad.
“The whole family, all your friends, the community and the police are united in trying to bring you home.” Speaking at the family home Rosalind Hodgkiss, Alice’s mother, said: “This has obviously been a very distressing time for the whole family and every morning as Alice’s disappearance grows longer and longer brings new agony, new anguish. We’re coping as best we can and we’re trying to keep hopeful.
Alice was last seen by a CCTV camera at 4.26pm on 28 August, walking under a bridge along a canal towpath heading towards Hanwell, in the west of London. Since then there have been no sightings. Police are seeking Arnis Zalkalns, a Latvian man with a previous conviction for murdering his wife, as a suspect. Detectives believe he came across the teenager shortly before the last known sighting of her, but that he might have fled abroad. “We’ve had a lot of support from the community, our family and friends, the Facebook page and the police, and we’re making an appeal today to Alice, if she can hear us, that we want her to come home, that we miss her and love her.”
Police will on Thursday mark four weeks since she vanished by carrying out a reconstruction of her last known moments, in an attempt to jog the memories of potential witnesses. It will show how she left her Hanwell home around 1pm that day before walking along Brentford Lock. The 50-year-old teacher said: “We’re missing everything about her. We miss her smile, her presence, her quirkiness, every single thing about her we miss, and we want her back home where she belongs.”
In their statement the family, who have also released new photographs of Alice, said: “We are also appealing to anyone out there who knows anything about Alice’s disappearance or where she is to come forward now. We cannot believe that Alice is not at home with us and every morning brings new agony. We dearly love our daughter and Nina dearly loves her sister. Please, please help us.” On Wednesday police said Zalkalns cannot be arrested if he has fled abroad as officers do not have enough evidence to charge him, meaning they fall short of the threshold for a European arrest warrant.
Det Sup Carl Mehta of the Metropolitan police said the public support had been “amazing”, with hundreds calls giving information. However, Hodgkiss said the family had no worries about the investigation into Zalkalns. She said: “We accept that this is just one line of inquiry. Alice is still a missing person and we want the focus today to be on Alice. We have every confidence in the police and the way that they have been handling the investigation.
Alice’s father, Jose Gross, said: “We’re 100% behind the police and we know they are 100% behind us as well. We’ve been amazingly impressed by the thoroughness, the precision and care that they have taken over this case.”
Both parents said the 14-year-old used social media but had been warned about potential dangers, and that they did not have any particular concerns.
The parents have joined police in urging members of the public to call in with any potential information to assist the huge search operation, involving hundreds of officers.
Earlier, Det Supt Carl Mehta of the Metropolitan police said the public support had been “amazing”, with hundreds of calls giving information.
He said: “We still need your help to find Alice and bring her home to her family. Today my appeal is simple. Alice was last seen on CCTV walking along the canal towpath, heading under Trumpers Way bridge towards Hanwell. Since 16.26 on that Thursday 28 August she has not been seen. Did you see Alice that afternoon? Have you seen her since? We need your help to find her.He said: “We still need your help to find Alice and bring her home to her family. Today my appeal is simple. Alice was last seen on CCTV walking along the canal towpath, heading under Trumpers Way bridge towards Hanwell. Since 16.26 on that Thursday 28 August she has not been seen. Did you see Alice that afternoon? Have you seen her since? We need your help to find her.
“Just as Alice reached the bridge it started to rain heavily. Think back and try to remember if you were out and about in that area that afternoon. It was during the summer holidays and the canal is a really popular place locally.“Just as Alice reached the bridge it started to rain heavily. Think back and try to remember if you were out and about in that area that afternoon. It was during the summer holidays and the canal is a really popular place locally.
“We know that Alice loved the rain, so she probably would have kept walking in it rather than seek shelter. There are many paths and turn offs from that canal towpath. We don’t know the route that Alice took, so please think back to that Thursday four weeks ago and call us if you can help.” “We know that Alice loved the rain, so she probably would have kept walking in it rather than seek shelter. There are many paths and turn-offs from that canal towpath. We don’t know the route that Alice took, so please think back to that Thursday four weeks ago and call us if you can help.”
Alice is described as white, 5ft 2in tall and of very slim build with shoulder-length, light brown hair. When she left home on the day she disappeared she was wearing dark blue jeans and a dark T-shirt, and tartan framed glasses, carrying a dark rucksack, and wearing denim blue Vans shoes. The shoes were in her rucksack when it was found by police on 2 September.Alice is described as white, 5ft 2in tall and of very slim build with shoulder-length, light brown hair. When she left home on the day she disappeared she was wearing dark blue jeans and a dark T-shirt, and tartan framed glasses, carrying a dark rucksack, and wearing denim blue Vans shoes. The shoes were in her rucksack when it was found by police on 2 September.
On Wednesday police said Zalkalns cannot be arrested if he has fled abroad as officers do not have enough evidence to charge him, meaning they fall short of the threshold for a European arrest warrant.
Amid criticism over the investigation, Scotland Yard tried to explain why they had not applied for a European arrest warrant, which would mean Zalkalns could be arrested in his native Latvia, if he had indeed fled to the country, where he has family and children.
Commander Graham McNulty said: “We are not at the point of charge, which means we cannot effect a European arrest warrant, which means we would not be able to arrest somebody abroad at this point in time.”
Also hampering any application for a European arrest warrant is the fact police cannot be sure any crime has actually been committed. McNulty said: “There is no evidence that Alice has come to harm, but we are clearly very concerned for her welfare. I would urge everyone to be cautious about speculating on the exact involvement of Arnis Zalkalns, or any other individual, in relation to this investigation.”
Zalkalns, 41, served an eight-year prison sentence in his native Latvia, where he was jailed in 1998. In 2009, he was arrested over an alleged indecent assault on a teenage girl in Ealing, west London, but the case was dropped because the alleged victim declined to make a statement.Zalkalns, 41, served an eight-year prison sentence in his native Latvia, where he was jailed in 1998. In 2009, he was arrested over an alleged indecent assault on a teenage girl in Ealing, west London, but the case was dropped because the alleged victim declined to make a statement.