Joanna Yeates murder: man arrested
A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Joanna Yeates, Avon and Somerset Police say. Her parents say they are “pleased the investigation is moving forward”.
Avon and Somerset Police said the man was arrested early this morning on suspicion of the murder of Bristol landscape architect, Joanna Yeates.
DCI Phil Jones, the senior investigating officer, said: “I would like to thank the public for their continued support for the investigation and the information they have provided to us.
“I would also like to pay tribute to Jo’s family and to Greg [Joanna’s boyfriend] who continue to be unfailing in their support to me and my team at what is an incredibly difficult and painful time for them.”
The body of 25-year-old Joanna Yeates was found on Christmas Day. She was strangled to death.
The arrest follows an appeal by Miss Yeates’s family earlier this week, when they issued a plea for anyone with information to come forward and end their torment.
Responding to the arrest from their home, Miss Yeates’s father David said: “We are pleased that the investigation is moving forward. We know as much as you do. We were told at 6am this morning that someone was arrested on suspicion of Jo’s murder and their age.”
The police declined to give any more details about the arrest at this stage.
Disappearance
Joanna disappeared on 17 December, after returning home from work drinks in Bristol. Her boyfriend 27-year-old Greg Reardon reported her missing when he returned from a weekend away, on 19 December.
On the night of her disappearance, she walked up through the centre of Bristol back to her home in Clifton, and was captured on several CCTV cameras, including in a Waitrose supermarket. She then bought a pizza from Tesco Express.
Police believe she then returned to her flat in Canynge Road, which she shared with Mr Reardon. A receipt from Tesco was found in the flat, along with a cream-coloured coat she had been wearing and her mobile phone and keys.
Her body was found on Christmas Day at a golf club in the Failand area of north Somerset, near Bristol. Since then her parents have launched a number of appeals for information on her killer and the police investigation has been ongoing.
More than 300 people contacted police regarding the investigation in the last few days alone, after a reconstruction of Joanna’s final movements was filmed for the BBC’s Crimewatch on Tuesday.
If you have any information in connection with the murder of Joanna Yeates, call the Operation Braid incident room on 0845 456 7000 or the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111