Sarah Benford murder: Kettering woods searched for body after 16 years
- Published
Sarah Benford was last seen in Kettering on 6 April 2000
Police investigating the murder of a teenage girl who disappeared 16 years ago have begun searching for her body in a wooded area in Northamptonshire.
Sarah Benford, 14, went missing from her care home in Northampton in April 2000. A murder investigation began three years later.
Detectives searching woods near Warkton said they had found a handgun which had been "in place for some time".
At this stage there was "no evidence" it was connected to her murder.
A recent review of the case, including interviews with 20 people, led to the search of the woodland.
'Lured into prostitution'
The area was known to have been used by Sarah's acquaintances for storing stolen goods and other items, police said.
"At this stage there is no evidence to suggest the handgun has any connection to Sarah and her disappearance, but it does reinforce how important it is to search this piece of land," lead investigator Det Ch Insp Martin Kinchin said.
A gun found during the search "appears to have been in place for some time", police said
Appealing for information about her daughter, Sarah's mother, Vicky Benford, said: "Sarah went missing in April 2000 and I have spent the last 16 years wondering where she is.
"[She] should be celebrating her 30th birthday this week. Sarah has a brother and sister who miss her every day and we all need to know what has happened to her."
Police confirmed they were searching for Sarah's body in woods at Warkton - an area used by some of her "associates" to "dispose of stolen property"
Sarah lived with her family in Kettering but spent time at a care home in Northampton.
Police described her as a "troubled teenager" with a history of running away.
A detective hopes friends of murdered Sarah Benford will now feel able to come forward.
At the time of her disappearance it was believed she had been involved with drugs and was lured into prostitution.
Sarah was last seen by her mother in Kettering town centre on 6 April 2000, two days after absconding from the care home.
'Unlikely' to be alive
She was wearing patchwork dark blue jeans, an orange fleece, black Puffa jacket, cream trainers and was carrying a navy and green rucksack.
Police believe the teenager was murdered "in the early days of her disappearance".
Speaking as the new search for Sarah's body got under way, Det Ch Insp Kinchin said he was sure people in the Kettering area may know what happened to her and as allegiances changed over time, he urged them to come forward.
"I would love in my heart to think Sarah is alive and makes contact with us, but my head tells me it is unlikely that she is."
A number of caravans were removed from one search site in 2003
Despite eight people being arrested in connection with the case, no-one has ever been charged.
Officers have reviewed the case ahead of what would have been Sarah's 30 birthday on 19 March.
A family video shows Sarah singing and dancing about 18 months before she disappeared
What happened to Sarah?
4 April 2000 - Sarah absconds from Welford House children's home in Welford Road, Northampton, and returns to Kettering
6 April 2000 - Sarah visits her mother in Kettering town centre and there are also sightings of her at Almond Road, Highfield Road and Cherry Road, Kettering
June 2003 - Three houses in Kettering and one in South Wales are searched
5 July 2003 - Man arrested but released without charge
22 September 2003 - Man arrested but released without charge
1 October 2003 - A house in Kettering is searched
23 October 2003 - Houses searched and further people from Nelson Street, Kettering, are arrested. Nobody is charged
26 October 2003 - A flat in Hampden Crescent, Kettering, is searched
27 November 2003 - A 41-year-old man is arrested but released without charge
December 2003 - Police search for several days in Furnace Lane, Finedon, seizing some exhibits
15 March 2016 - Detectives search for Sarah's body in woods at Warkton Bridge, an area police said was used by some of her "associates" to "dispose of stolen property"
Sarah's mother Vicky added: "As a family we are looking for closure around her disappearance and somebody must know something. We would ask for people to contact the police if they know anything.
"As a family we need to come to terms with what has happened and won't be able to do this until we know what has happened to Sarah."