1 Oct 2014

Body of missing teenager Alice Gross found in river

Police confirm the body found in the River Brent on Tuesday evening is that of missing teenager Alice Gross.

The body of 14-year-old Alice Gross was recovered by officers from the River Brent on Tuesday night, the Metropolitan Police said.

Alice Gross’s parents, Rosalind Hodgkiss and Jose Gross, said in a statement they were “completely devastated”.

Alice went missing on 28 August, when she was caught on CCTV that afternoon walking alongside the Grand Union canal in West London, on the way back to her home.

The River Brent runs a short distance from Hanwell and the towpath next to the Grand Union Canal where Alice was last seen on CCTV.

Murder investigation

Metropolitan Police Commander Graham McNulty said “significant efforts” were made to hide the discovered body.

Convicted murderer Arnis Zalkalns, who was filmed cycling along the same route behind Alice, has emerged as the prime suspect in the case. The Latvian builder was reported missing within days of her disappearance, but police stressed he was just “one line of enquiry”.