Human remains found in Kent woodland in search for missing Sarah Everard

Human remains have been found in a woodland in Kent in the search for missing Sarah Everard (Photo: Met Police)Human remains have been found in a woodland in Kent in the search for missing Sarah Everard (Photo: Met Police)
Human remains have been found in a woodland in Kent in the search for missing Sarah Everard (Photo: Met Police)

Human remains have been found in a woodland in Kent in the search for missing Sarah Everard.

The 33-year-old went missing on 3 March while walking back to her home in Brixton after visiting her friend’s house in Clapham.

Ms Everard is thought to have walked through Clapham Common towards her house in Brixton – a journey which should have taken around 50 minutes.

She was last captured on a doorbell camera walking along the A205 Poynders Road towards Tulse Hill at around 9.30pm on 3 March.

Detectives have not yet been able to confirm the identity of the remains, which were discovered near Ashford in Kent on Wednesday evening (10 March).

Met Commissioner Cressida Dick said this "may take some considerable time".

A serving Metropolitan Police officer in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command was arrested on Tuesday night (9 March) on suspicion of kidnap and later of murder.

The arrested officer - who was not on duty at the time of Ms Everard's disappearance - was arrested at an address in Deal, Kent, more than 60 miles away from where Ms Everard was last seen.

He is also being held on a separate allegation of indecent exposure.

A woman was taken into custody from the same address and is being held at a London police station on suspicion of assisting an offender.

‘Sarah's disappearance in these awful and wicked circumstances is every family's worst nightmare’

In a televised news briefing at New Scotland Yard, Commissioner Dick confirmed officers searching an area near Ashford had "found, very sadly, what appears to be human remains,” and that specialist officers had updated Ms Everard's family on the investigation.

Commissioner Dick said: "Sarah's disappearance in these awful and wicked circumstances is every family's worst nightmare.

"I know Londoners will want to know that it is thankfully incredibly rare for a woman to be abducted from our streets.

"But I completely understand that despite this, women in London and the wider public - particularly those in the area where Sarah went missing - will be worried and may well be feeling scared."

Commissioner Dick said the news of a Metropolitan Police officer arrested on suspicion of murder “has sent waves of shock and anger through the public and through the whole of the Met.”

“I speak on behalf of all my colleagues in the Met when I say we are utterly appalled at this dreadful news. Our job is to patrol the streets and to protect people,” she added.

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