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Post by Admin on Feb 27, 2015 13:01:06 GMT
The family home of a missing Bristol teenager has been searched by forensics officers, police have said. Rebecca Watts, 16, was reported missing after not returning to her home in the St George area last Thursday. Father Darren Galsworthy left the house with stepmother Anjie. Police said the search was "standard practice". Avon and Somerset Police have also been searching Troopers Hill, a nature reserve near the family's home on the Crown Hill road. The force helicopter searched the reserve and surrounding area on Tuesday night and was used again on Wednesday. But police said at a press conference they had made no significant finds there. Officers revealed new missing posters had been produced and some were handed out during a search by members of the public later on Wednesday. Officers on foot also searched a park and open ground, close to Rebecca's home on Tuesday. She is described as white, 5ft 4ins (1.6m) tall, with long red hair. Police said recent photos of her did not reflect the change in her hair colour. It is thought she was wearing a blue puffa-style jacket on the day she went missing. Rebecca went missing with her mobile phone and laptop, the force said. Det Insp Richard Ocone, who is leading the investigation, said: "We're continuing to search the local area, concentrating on open areas and parkland. "This is a routine part of a missing persons search that we always undertake to look for anything that Becky might have dropped. "We are continuing with our house to house inquiries and I would urge anyone in the local area who has yet to speak to officers to call us immediately if they think they can help us."
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Post by Admin on Feb 28, 2015 14:37:01 GMT
A laptop computer has been found during the search for missing 16-year-old Rebecca Watts in Bristol. The machine has been given to police who are yet to comment on whether it is significant, but the force said Rebecca went missing with her own computer. Some 150 friends and family of Rebecca - missing for more than a week - are searching on the Oldbury Court estate. It comes as police continue to search a lake in St George Park and say they may also trawl nearby lakes and rivers. Specialist sniffer dogs used in the hunt for Madeleine McCann and April Jones have been used to search the home of missing teen Becky Watts. The highly trained victim identification dogs from South Wales Police were drafted in to search the property in Bristol today. The dogs were first seen being led to the back of the house into the garden by officers wearing blue and white overalls. The two spaniels were repeatedly taken from a large white van parked outside the family home and could be seen going in and out of the house throughout the afternoon as the search intensified. Avon and Somerset Police previously said she took her laptop and mobile phone with her but no clothing or make-up. John Galsworthy, her grandfather, said the family were trying to remain strong as the search intensified. Addressing those who had gathered, he said: "We are broadening the search. "There are groups separate to ours who are going out using their own initiative, going wherever necessary to try and find her. We are continuing in the hope there may be something discovered today. We want everyone to keep their eyes and ears open." Detectives have previously searched Troopers Hill nature reserve as well as her family home, which is close to St George Park. On Friday Det Supt Liz Tunks, head of Avon and Somerset Police's major crime investigation unit, took over the case and said she was consulting missing people experts to ensure "all possible tactics are being considered". As part of the search, Mr Galsworthy said more than 6,000 leaflets had been printed, with around 1,500 more expected to be delivered next week.
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Post by Admin on Mar 2, 2015 13:11:39 GMT
Two people have been arrested in connection with the disappearance of a 16-year-old girl in Bristol. The move came after a laptop computer found during the search for Rebecca Watts had been handed into police. She had left her father’s home in the St George area at about 11am on 19 February with her phone, laptop and tablet computer, but didn’t tell her family or friends where she was going. There have been no reported sightings. Avon and Somerset police have been searching for the teenager, joined by large groups of volunteers searching parks, woods and open spaces and handing out thousands of leaflets with a photograph of Rebecca. In a message to his daughter at a police press conference last week, Rebecca’s father, Darren Goldsworthy, said she was “in no trouble at all” and appealed to any of her friends with information about her to contact police or her family. “You might think you are helping Becky by not telling the police where she is, but you are not,” he said. The family last week hit back at internet trolls who had been targeting Goldsworthy, 51, after forensics officers had searched the family home and car. Police have drafted in sniffer dogs from neighbouring Welsh forces and are running an online #FindBecky campaign. They estimate that almost 400,000 people have seen tweets about the search, and Facebook adverts targeting users in the Bristol area have reached more than 21,000 people. Her mother, Tanya Watts, revealed that the teenager had disappeared on her brother Danny’s 20th birthday.
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Post by Admin on Mar 4, 2015 14:05:06 GMT
Police investigating the disappearance of teenager Becky Watts have found body parts at a house in Bristol. Four men and one woman have been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. Police have been given an extra 24 hours to quiz a 28-year-old man and 21-year-old woman on suspicion of murder. Becky, 16, was last seen at her home in St George, Bristol, on 19 February. Police said her family had been told the "devastating" news. Det Supt Mike Courtiour, of Avon and Somerset Police, said officers went to a house at Barton Court in the Barton Hill area of the city after receiving new information on Monday night. "The information suggested that Becky's body had been cut up and a search at the new location resulted in the discovery of body parts," he said. "Although formal identification procedures have not yet been completed, we have made Becky's family aware of this discovery." He said the latest five arrests - two men aged 29, two aged 23 and a woman aged 23 - were made as a result of the find. All seven arrested people remain in police custody. On Tuesday afternoon, police were granted a further 24 hours by magistrates to question the two arrested on suspicion of murder. A coffin was removed from the rear of the property on Barton Court on Tuesday lunchtime and was taken away in a private ambulance. Floral tributes have been placed outside Becky's home and the Barton Court address. Det Supt Courtiour added: "This is devastating news for Becky's family and friends and our thoughts are with them. We will continue to offer every support we can to them during this terrible ordeal." Bristol Mayor George Ferguson tweeted: "Very grim sounding news re missing #Bristol teenager Becky - our hearts go out to her family and friends." A number of places, including three houses and woodland, have been searched as part of the investigation. Becky had left home with her phone, laptop and tablet computer but did not tell her friends or family where she was going, or take extra clothing. She was reported missing at 16:00 GMT on 20 February.
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Post by Admin on Mar 11, 2015 13:32:49 GMT
Police investigating the murder of teenager Becky Watts say they have recovered her mobile phone, laptop and tablet computer. Officers have also revealed searches of properties connected with the investigation will continue for another two weeks. Becky was last seen at her family home in the St George area of Bristol on the morning of Thursday, February 19. It is believed she left the house with her mobile phone, laptop and tablet computer and went to visit her boyfriend but she was never seen again. Police did not reveal where Becky's personal belongings were discovered. Becky's stepbrother, Nathan Matthews, 28, has since been charged with her murder. His girlfriend Shauna Hoare, also known by the surname Phillips, 21, is alleged to have perverted the course of justice. A further four people face a charge of assisting an offender by disposing and concealing parts of her body. Detective Superintendent, Liz Tunks, of Avon & Somerset police said: "There is likely to be ongoing police activity at properties in St George and Barton Hill for the next couple of weeks as part of our investigation into the murder of Becky Watts. "There are specific forensic examinations which we need to complete to help establish exactly what happened to Becky. "We'd like to reassure the local community that our primary aim is to conduct a meticulous and exhaustive inquiry into Becky's death and even though there have been charges brought in this case, it continues to be an active investigation."
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