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| Alice Gross police say case is murder inquiry after finding body | Alice Gross police say case is murder inquiry after finding body |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Scotland Yard detectives are hunting for convicted murderer Arnis Zalkalns, after their month-long search for the missing teenager Alice Gross resulted in the discovery of a body deliberately hidden in a river. | Scotland Yard detectives are hunting for convicted murderer Arnis Zalkalns, after their month-long search for the missing teenager Alice Gross resulted in the discovery of a body deliberately hidden in a river. |
| Police said “significant efforts” had been made to conceal the body found in the river Brent, west London. It is believed to have been weighted down and was found by specialist search teams. | Police said “significant efforts” had been made to conceal the body found in the river Brent, west London. It is believed to have been weighted down and was found by specialist search teams. |
| Scotland Yard said the case was being treated as a murder investigation with detectives in the UK and Latvia trying to find Zalkalns, named by police as a suspect. | Scotland Yard said the case was being treated as a murder investigation with detectives in the UK and Latvia trying to find Zalkalns, named by police as a suspect. |
| Alice, 14, went missing on 28 August after leaving her west London home to go for a walk. | Alice, 14, went missing on 28 August after leaving her west London home to go for a walk. |
| Zalkalns, 41, went missing a week later and inquiries by police revealed he had a conviction for murdering his wife in his native Latvia. | Zalkalns, 41, went missing a week later and inquiries by police revealed he had a conviction for murdering his wife in his native Latvia. |
| Detectives believe Zalkalns, who was riding a bike, encountered Alice as she walked by a canal on the day she disappeared. | Detectives believe Zalkalns, who was riding a bike, encountered Alice as she walked by a canal on the day she disappeared. |
| Alice’s family, who made emotional appeals for her safe return, were told of the news late on Tuesday night. Hours later Scotland Yard commander Graham McNulty described the developments as “devastating”. | Alice’s family, who made emotional appeals for her safe return, were told of the news late on Tuesday night. Hours later Scotland Yard commander Graham McNulty described the developments as “devastating”. |
| The body found in the river is yet to be formally identified. | The body found in the river is yet to be formally identified. |
| Detectives will be waiting for the results of tests to see if they provide any link to Zalkalns. They are understood to have taken DNA and other samples from his home. Any forensic tests may result in bolstering suspicions about the 41-year-old labourer, or rule him out. | Detectives will be waiting for the results of tests to see if they provide any link to Zalkalns. They are understood to have taken DNA and other samples from his home. Any forensic tests may result in bolstering suspicions about the 41-year-old labourer, or rule him out. |
| Staff at the Fox Inn pub, in Hanwell, about 200 yards from the river, said police activity had intensified and a cordon had been set up at about 7pm on Tuesday. Barman Jack Marlander, said he had seen at least 10 police vans and a fire truck and police presence had continued late into the night. | |
| “All the locals were just taking about how sorry they felt for the family,” he said. In recent weeks much of the undergrowth around the river had been cut back, he added. | |
| In a statement on Wednesday morning, McNulty said: “Last night, 30 September, a search was carried out in the river Brent, as part of our ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Alice Gross. | In a statement on Wednesday morning, McNulty said: “Last night, 30 September, a search was carried out in the river Brent, as part of our ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Alice Gross. |
| “Following this search we have sadly recovered a body from the water.” | “Following this search we have sadly recovered a body from the water.” |
| McNulty said the news was “devastating for everyone involved in the search for Alice” and urged those yet to come forward who may have information to contact police. | McNulty said the news was “devastating for everyone involved in the search for Alice” and urged those yet to come forward who may have information to contact police. |
| “This is now a murder investigation and I need the public’s help to find whoever is responsible,” he said. “I would urge anyone who may know something to come forward. Even if you have not yet spoken out it is not too late to tell us what you know.” | “This is now a murder investigation and I need the public’s help to find whoever is responsible,” he said. “I would urge anyone who may know something to come forward. Even if you have not yet spoken out it is not too late to tell us what you know.” |
| After weeks of searches and false leads, police finally have some solid evidence of what may have happened to the teenager. They had for weeks believed she had intended to return home; her father had planned to cook her dinner that night. There had been an increasingly slim chance she had run away, but as the weeks went on, detectives’ fears grew. | After weeks of searches and false leads, police finally have some solid evidence of what may have happened to the teenager. They had for weeks believed she had intended to return home; her father had planned to cook her dinner that night. There had been an increasingly slim chance she had run away, but as the weeks went on, detectives’ fears grew. |
| The case was being led by Scotland Yard’s homicide and major crimes command within days of her disappearance. | The case was being led by Scotland Yard’s homicide and major crimes command within days of her disappearance. |
| McNulty said: “Our work at this scene is crucial to ensure we capture all the available evidence allowing us to identify who is responsible for this dreadful crime. This may take some time, and I ask people to remain patient with us. I can confirm that significant efforts were made to conceal the body.” | McNulty said: “Our work at this scene is crucial to ensure we capture all the available evidence allowing us to identify who is responsible for this dreadful crime. This may take some time, and I ask people to remain patient with us. I can confirm that significant efforts were made to conceal the body.” |
| The place where the body was recovered is close to where Alice was last seen, captured at 4.26pm on CCTV. | The place where the body was recovered is close to where Alice was last seen, captured at 4.26pm on CCTV. |
| Scotland Yard would not say if they would now apply for a Europe-wide arrest warrant for Zalkalns. They say they had been unable to do so before because they lacked the evidence required. Until the discovery of the body, police had no solid evidence a crime had been committed. | Scotland Yard would not say if they would now apply for a Europe-wide arrest warrant for Zalkalns. They say they had been unable to do so before because they lacked the evidence required. Until the discovery of the body, police had no solid evidence a crime had been committed. |
| Last week British police arrived in Latvia, where local officers had been making inquiries in case Zalkalns had returned there. | |
| On Wednesday morning, Toms Sadovskis, spokesperson for the Latvian state police, said there was no evidence Zalkalns was in Latvia. He said: “We have been fully cooperating with the Metropolitan police and are going to continue that work. The focus of our work is to do whatever the Met police ask us to do.” | On Wednesday morning, Toms Sadovskis, spokesperson for the Latvian state police, said there was no evidence Zalkalns was in Latvia. He said: “We have been fully cooperating with the Metropolitan police and are going to continue that work. The focus of our work is to do whatever the Met police ask us to do.” |
| Latvian police have said that without a European arrest warrant they could not detain Zalkalns. Sadovskis, asked if Latvian police could now arrest the suspect if officers came across him in Latvia, said: “If there is [a warrant], yes we can. If not, no we can’t.” | Latvian police have said that without a European arrest warrant they could not detain Zalkalns. Sadovskis, asked if Latvian police could now arrest the suspect if officers came across him in Latvia, said: “If there is [a warrant], yes we can. If not, no we can’t.” |
| Police in London say the inquiry into Alice’s disappearance has been the biggest search operation since the investigation into the 7 July 2005 terrorist attacks on London. | |
| Zalkalns served an eight-year prison sentence in Latvia from 1998. He is believed to have come to Britain in 2007 after his release and 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 served an eight-year prison sentence in Latvia from 1998. He is believed to have come to Britain in 2007 after his release and 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 is white, 1.77 metres (5ft 10in) tall and stocky, with dark brown hair that he normally wears tied in a ponytail. | |
| Police say he may be dangerous and should not be approached if spotted. | |
| Police have still to locate Alice’s white iPhone, which had a cracked back that the teenager had coloured in. | |
| Police have been criticised over their handling of the case, which has sparked strong emotions. McNulty said: “You only need to walk around the surrounding streets to see the effect that Alice’s disappearance has had on the whole community.” | Police have been criticised over their handling of the case, which has sparked strong emotions. McNulty said: “You only need to walk around the surrounding streets to see the effect that Alice’s disappearance has had on the whole community.” |
| In Hanwell, a large area surrounding the river Brent was cordoned off by police and walkways along the river were not accessible. | In Hanwell, a large area surrounding the river Brent was cordoned off by police and walkways along the river were not accessible. |
| The roads and paths surrounding the river were decorated in yellow ribbons, tied around rails, bridges, even on the branches of trees, to raise awareness of the missing 14-year-old. | The roads and paths surrounding the river were decorated in yellow ribbons, tied around rails, bridges, even on the branches of trees, to raise awareness of the missing 14-year-old. |
| As police continued their forensic examinations, local people spoke of their devastation at the news that a body had been found and police had opened a murder investigation. | |
| Joanne Golden said her daughter had gone to gym classes with Alice. The child she remembered was “bubbly and happy-go-lucky,” she said, before adding that the last time she had seen Alice, she was holding her mother’s hand in the local park. | Joanne Golden said her daughter had gone to gym classes with Alice. The child she remembered was “bubbly and happy-go-lucky,” she said, before adding that the last time she had seen Alice, she was holding her mother’s hand in the local park. |
| The past four weeks had been very hard for everyone in the search parties, she said. “It has been so awful, like a thick black cloud hanging over Hanwell. Today is a very difficult day. I have been having nightmares and all I can think of is poor Alice and her family. My heart goes out to them.” | |
| Her mother, Jeanette Golden said: “Everyone is devastated, you can tell just by looking at people’s faces.” | Her mother, Jeanette Golden said: “Everyone is devastated, you can tell just by looking at people’s faces.” |
| Maggie Chalmers, co-owner of the Fox Inn pub for 14 years, said: “It is such a nice area and the river is so peaceful, you just can’t imagine anything like that happening here.” | |
| In the houses leading up to the river, the doorknobs carried yellow ribbons, and in many windows missing posters had been put up. | |
| Boat dwellers on the Grand Union canal said police had been searching nearby since Alice disappeared. Phil Howley, who lives part time on the canal, said he believed he had seen a stretcher being carried over a bridge where the river Brent meets the canal, just in front of their boat, at about 10pm. He added that the police had cordoned off about half a mile of river. | |
| “We don’t know all the details of course, but the river is not very deep here so it does seem strange that it took so long to find her,” he said. “It is very, very sad.” | |
| Residents said that the section of river where the body is believed to have been found had already been searched in the days following Alice’s disappearance. | |
| One resident said the same stretch of river had been cordoned off about five days after Alice went missing and had remained inaccessible for two weeks. It was then reopened before it was once again closed by police on Tuesday evening. | |
| At the Uxbridge Road bridge, which crosses the river, Danielle Giles carried a bunch of white and yellow flowers tied with a yellow ribbon, to lay as a tribute to Alice. “We just wanted to pay our respects,” she said. | |
| Timeline: the disappearance of Alice Gross | Timeline: the disappearance of Alice Gross |
| 28 August: 14-year-old Alice leaves her home in Hanwell, west London, at 1pm. She is captured on CCTV walking along the Grand Union canal towpath and at 3.45pm is seen on cameras at Brentford Lock. The last sighting of her walking along the canal under a bridge, apparently heading towards Hanwell is at 4.26pm. | 28 August: 14-year-old Alice leaves her home in Hanwell, west London, at 1pm. She is captured on CCTV walking along the Grand Union canal towpath and at 3.45pm is seen on cameras at Brentford Lock. The last sighting of her walking along the canal under a bridge, apparently heading towards Hanwell is at 4.26pm. |
| 1 September: Alice’s family appeal for the teen to get in touch saying they “desperately miss her”. The Metropolitan police carry out house-to-house inquiries and search parks and open spaces. | 1 September: Alice’s family appeal for the teen to get in touch saying they “desperately miss her”. The Metropolitan police carry out house-to-house inquiries and search parks and open spaces. |
| 4 September: Police release CCTV footage of Alice and reveal they have discovered a rucksack she was carrying, with her shoes inside. Her family make a new appeal, with her mother, Rosalind Hodgkiss, saying: “We’d like to say to Alice first of all that we miss her, that we love her and that she’s not in any trouble, and we want to know that she’s safe. We just want her to come home.” | 4 September: Police release CCTV footage of Alice and reveal they have discovered a rucksack she was carrying, with her shoes inside. Her family make a new appeal, with her mother, Rosalind Hodgkiss, saying: “We’d like to say to Alice first of all that we miss her, that we love her and that she’s not in any trouble, and we want to know that she’s safe. We just want her to come home.” |
| 6 September: Police arrest a 25-year-old man in the Ealing area on suspicion of murder. | 6 September: Police arrest a 25-year-old man in the Ealing area on suspicion of murder. |
| 7 September: A second man, aged 51, is arrested on suspicion of murder. Police say the two arrests are “independent” of each other and stress it remains a missing persons inquiry. | 7 September: A second man, aged 51, is arrested on suspicion of murder. Police say the two arrests are “independent” of each other and stress it remains a missing persons inquiry. |
| 8 September: Police are given more time to question their first suspect and later release their second suspect with no further action. | 8 September: Police are given more time to question their first suspect and later release their second suspect with no further action. |
| 9 September: The man arrested is released on bail until mid-September. | 9 September: The man arrested is released on bail until mid-September. |
| 16 September: Detectives say they are searching for 41-year-old Latvian builder Arnis Zalkalns in relation to Alice’s disappearance, who was last seen at his home in Ealing, west London, on 3 September. Zalkalns is known to travel to work along a similar route to that which Alice took on the day she disappeared, police said. A 25-year-old arrested on suspicion of murder is told he will face no further action. | 16 September: Detectives say they are searching for 41-year-old Latvian builder Arnis Zalkalns in relation to Alice’s disappearance, who was last seen at his home in Ealing, west London, on 3 September. Zalkalns is known to travel to work along a similar route to that which Alice took on the day she disappeared, police said. A 25-year-old arrested on suspicion of murder is told he will face no further action. |
| 18 September: Police confirm Zalkalns is a suspect in Alice’s disappearance and it is later revealed he was convicted of murdering his wife in his home country in 1998, for which he served seven years, and was also arrested on suspicion of indecent assault in the Ealing area in 2009, though no further action was taken. | 18 September: Police confirm Zalkalns is a suspect in Alice’s disappearance and it is later revealed he was convicted of murdering his wife in his home country in 1998, for which he served seven years, and was also arrested on suspicion of indecent assault in the Ealing area in 2009, though no further action was taken. |
| 20 September: Police reveal the hunt for Alice is the biggest search operation since the 7/7 bombings. | 20 September: Police reveal the hunt for Alice is the biggest search operation since the 7/7 bombings. |
| 25 September: Four weeks after her disappearance Alice’s family make another emotional plea for her to return home as police stage a reconstruction of her final movements. | 25 September: Four weeks after her disappearance Alice’s family make another emotional plea for her to return home as police stage a reconstruction of her final movements. |
| 30 September: A body is found hidden in the River Brent in west London. Officers said “significant efforts” had been made to hide the body found in the River Brent. | 30 September: A body is found hidden in the River Brent in west London. Officers said “significant efforts” had been made to hide the body found in the River Brent. |
| 1 October: Detectives say their investigation into the disappearance of Alice Gross is now a murder inquiry. | 1 October: Detectives say their investigation into the disappearance of Alice Gross is now a murder inquiry. |