Body found in hunt for Alice killer

A man’s body has been found in the area of Boston Manor Park in West London. It is believed to the corpse of a Latvian man, suspected of murdering Alice Gross.

The body was found one mile away from Alice’s body in dense woodland at the park. Police have cordoned off the area whilst forensic tests are being done.

The prime suspect in the murder of the 14-year-old is convicted killer Arnis Zalkalns, who was seen following her on CCTV cameras the day she disappeared.

Zalkalns had not accessed his bank account or used his mobile phone since September 3, nor had he returned home to his partner and young child. He also left his passport behind

In a statement the Metropolitan Police said: “We can confirm that officers working on the Alice Gross murder investigation, in their continued widening search have today (Saturday October 4) found the body of a man in dense woodland in Boston Manor Park. More details will be released as appropriate.”

The police had no record of a murder he committed in 2007, where he bludgeoned his wife to death in Latvia.

The 41-year-old worked at a building site in Isleworth, west London, was also arrested on suspicion of indecent assault of a 14-year-old girl in 2009, but he was never charged.