Missing Jayden: body found in church grave
The family of missing teenager Jayden Parkinson are “heartbroken” and “devastated”, police say after finding a body buried in a grave in Didcot, Oxfordshire.
Thames Valley Police said the body was discovered in a recently-disturbed site in the cemetery of All Saints’ Church, Didcot, Oxfordshire.
Her ex-boyfriend Ben Blakeley, 22, appeared in court earlier this week charged with killing 17-year-old Jayden.
A formal identification of the body has yet to take place, but the girl’s family has been informed and is being supported by specialist officers.
‘Heartbroken’
The man leading the investigation, Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Murray, said: “We had prepared Jayden’s family for the worst but I’m afraid nothing can prepare you for the loss of your child.
“They remain heartbroken, they remain devastated, and our thoughts are with them at this time.”
A statement issued last night said: “Thames Valley Police can confirm that we have found a body in a recently disturbed grave in the cemetery of All Saints Church, Didcot.
“The body is believed to be that of missing teenager Jayden Parkinson.
“A formal identification has yet to take place.
“Jayden’s family has been informed and is being supported by specially trained officers.
“Our thoughts are with them at this extremely difficult and distressing time.”
Forensic searches
Officers and forensic scientists were due to work at the cemetery on Wednesday and are expected to remain on site on Thursday.
The discovery comes after an inquiry team of more than 100 officers and detectives, backed by specialists from the National Crime Agency, spent much of the past week carrying out intensive forensic searches at several sites in and around Didcot and the nearby village of Upton in a bid to find missing girl.
On Tuesday, the man leading the investigation, Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Murray, said police had received “significant and highly relevant information” which led police to focus their efforts on a specific grave in the churchyard.
A careful search at the site of the grave was carried out throughout Wednesday.
The teenager, who had recently moved to Oxford, was last seen leaving Didcot railway station at 4.27pm on 3 December.
Police said there was “no indication” she was still alive, revealing Jayden had not used her mobile phone or accessed her bank account in the days since she had been reported missing.
Officers had previously issued an appeal for information about a man seen struggling with a suitcase just outside the village of Upton, at about 2am on Monday, 9 December.
A painstaking search of farmland on the outskirts of the village took place, following reports of that sighting.