Police end allotment search in murder probe

Maris Ile is sitting on a red motorbike next to the sea on a beach. He is wearing a sleeveless blue top and beige trousers. He is also wearing a red bandana on his head and white pumps on his feet. Image source, Norfolk Police
Image caption,

Officers said Maris Ile, who was from Latvia and a seasonal worker in the UK, had not been heard from since 20 November

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Police have concluded their search of an allotment following the disappearance of a man believed to have been murdered.

Maris Ile, 54, was reported missing on 23 November, three days after he left his home in King's Lynn, Norfolk, to go to work in Ely, Cambridgeshire.

Detectives started a "no body" murder investigation after inquiries led them to believe he had come to harm.

Following a search of a King's Lynn allotment, detectives said they did not find anything "immediately significant" but had established several leads.

View of North Lynn Allotments, showing a sign saying 'Allotment holders only' and a police vehicle saying 'forensic services'.
Image source, Norfolk Police
Image caption,

Police started their search of North Lynn allotments on 14 March

Four men and a woman, who were arrested in King's Lynn, Norwich and Peterborough on suspicion of murder, have been released on bail until 11 June.

Det Supt Phill Gray said searches in the allotments had concluded.

"Whilst we have not found anything that's immediately significant, we have established a number of lines of enquiry that we will be pursuing over the coming weeks," he said.

"I would like to thank those living in North Lynn for their patience while we continue our investigation in that area."

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