Becky Watts: forensic examinations will continue for weeks, say police
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Version 0 of 1. Specialist forensic examinations will continue for several weeks to establish the full circumstances surrounding the death of Becky Watts, police have said. Becky, 16, described as “wonderful” by her family, vanished from her home in Crown Hill, Bristol, at 11.15am on 19 February. A huge search operation was launched, leading to Becky’s body parts being discovered at a house in Barton Court, Bristol, on 2 March. Becky’s stepbrother, Nathan Matthews, 28, was arrested and later appeared at Bristol crown court charged with her murder. His girlfriend, Shauna Hoare, 21, has been charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice by lying to police to help Matthews evade detection. There are specific forensic examinations we need to complete to help establish exactly what happened to Becky Karl and Donovan Demetrius, both 29, Jaydene Parsons and James Ireland, both 23, have been charged with assisting an offender by helping to dispose of and hide Becky’s body parts. All six defendants, who remain in police custody, will appear at Bristol crown court on 26 March. A spokesman for Avon and Somerset police said Becky’s laptop, tablet and mobile phone – which went missing with the teenager – had been recovered. DS Liz Tunks, the officer leading the investigation, said: “There is likely to be ongoing police activity at properties in St George and Barton Hill for the next couple of weeks as part of our investigation into the murder of Becky Watts. “There are specific forensic examinations which we need to complete to help establish exactly what happened to Becky. “We’d like to reassure the local community that our primary aim is to conduct a meticulous and exhaustive inquiry into Becky’s death and, even though there have been charges brought in this case, it continues to be an active investigation.” Flowers, teddies and cards have been left at the teenager’s family home, as well as at Barton Court, and mourners have paid their respects at churches across the city. Hundreds of multicoloured balloons were released in memory of Becky at the weekend in an event attended by her father, Darren Galsworthy, and stepmother, Anjie. Bus drivers in Bristol wore black on Monday as a mark of respect to the teenager. Matthews, of Hazelbury Drive, Warmley, was previously identified as the son of Anjie by family members. Two fundraising pages to help Becky’s family pay for her funeral have received more than £11,000 in donations. |