Sarah Benford: Police 'positive' search will find missing girl's body

Northamptonshire Police said the search could continue for two weeks

The police officer overseeing a search for the body of a teenage girl who went missing more than 20 years ago said he remained "positive that we will find her".

Northamptonshire Police is looking for Sarah Benford's body in Kettering.

A murder investigation was launched after Sarah went missing from a Northampton care home in April 2000.

Det Supt Joe Banfield said the excavation, now in its fifth day, has "moved on at pace".

Sarah, 14, was last seen by her mother in Kettering on 6 April 2000, two days after absconding from the care home.

Det Supt Joe Banfield said he remained positive Sarah Benford's body would be found

Nobody has ever been charged over her disappearance, despite a number of suspects having been arrested and searches taking place in Kettering, London and Wales.

New intelligence gathered by the force's Major Investigation Team led to the search of an area of land in Valley Walk, which started on Monday.

What happened to Sarah?

Sarah Benford went missing in 2000 after absconding from a Northampton care home

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

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

15 November 2021 - A fresh search starts at Valley Walk in Kettering

On Thursday, specialist sniffer dogs, which can smell human remains, were used.

Det Supt Banfield said his team had received information from a number of people since the search work began, including residents who had visited the site.

• Sniffer dogs in search for girl missing since 2000

• Police start dig for girl missing since 2000

• Woods search for murdered teenage girl

"We have moved on at pace," he said. "We are sensitively digging each of the areas of anomaly using a combination of defence and science experts, archaeologists and a forensic digger man.

"We have gone through roughly half the areas we're concerned with. Sadly we haven't found Sarah yet, but I remain positive that we will find her - it's just going to take some time."