Police searching for the missing mother of two, Katie Kenyon, believe she is dead and has arrested a man on suspicion of murder.
Ms. Kenyon, 33, was last seen boarding a van with a man in Burnley, Lancashire, around 9:30 a.m. Friday.
A 50-year-old man from Burnley, who was initially arrested on suspicion of kidnapping on Monday, was further arrested on suspicion of murder.
More than 60 detectives from four police forces are searching parts of a forest in the nearby Ribble Valley for Ms. Kenyon.
Gisborne Forest, popular with pedestrians and cyclists, is said to be the largest wooded area in the county at nearly five square miles.
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1:17 Finding Katie Kenyon’s body
Police in Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and North Wales are combing the area, aided by the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and the Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team.
It is alleged that the suspect is known to Ms. Kenyon. The detective is ready to ask the magistrates for more time to question him.
Lancashire police said: “While Katie has not yet been found, we are now working on the basis that she is unfortunately no longer alive.”
‘thin hope’
Detective Superintendent Gary Brooks, head of the Lancashire Police Department for Major Crimes, said officers were offering support to her family following the latest developments.
He said: “Although I have little hope that Katie can still be found alive, I regret to say that Katie has been missing for more than four days.
“Despite extensive police investigations and media calls, we have not found Katie, nor have there been any observations of Katie.
He added: “We continue to look for a number of different locations in connection with this investigation, including at Gisborne Forest, and I am grateful to my colleagues from Merseyside and North Wales, as well as other emergency partners, who are offering help in these complexes and large-scale searches. . “
At around 9:30 a.m. Friday, a woman matching Ms. Kenyon’s description left Todmorden Road in Burnley with a man and traveled about 27 miles in a silver Ford Transit to the Bolton-by-Bowland area of northern Lancashire.
She has not been seen since.
Image: Police are appealing to witnesses who saw this van
Police previously released a photo of the van, which was found in Burnley, and continues to appeal to anyone who has seen the vehicle, registration plate MT57 FLC, or has footage from the dashboard, to come out.
Ms. Kenyon is described as 5 feet 9 inches and white with shoulder-length strawberry or ginger hair.
She was last seen wearing a blue shirt or jacket and a white cardigan, black leggings and flip-flops.
Anyone with information should call the police on 101, quoting Diary 800 of April 24, or contact employees through the public portal for major incidents.
Alternatively, they can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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