Jayden Parkinson search: Police believe body found in grave is her's

Police believe that the body of Jayden Parkinson is the one that was found in a grave in Didcot, Oxfordshire.

16:47 19 December 2013

17-year-old Jayden Parkinson was last seen alive on December 03 as she was leaving the town’s railway station. After she was reported missing, police have begun searching for her. However, the police have previously said that there was no sign that she was alive as she did not use her phone or accessed her bank account in the days since December 03. Today, police said that they have reasons to believe that the body found in a grave in Didcot, Oxfordshire is her’s.

Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Murray said: "We had prepared Jayden's family for the worst but I'm afraid nothing can prepare you for the loss of your child.

"They remain heartbroken, they remain devastated, and our thoughts are with them at this time.

"It's been a long and difficult night but, as you probably know, we discovered a body in a particular grave in All Saints' Cemetery in Didcot and I believe that body to be Jayden Parkinson, our missing teenager.

"Formal identification has not yet taken place. Jayden's body was removed from the cemetery late last night.

"Our only work in that cemetery now consists of returning that cemetery to its previous state.

"A post-mortem will take place today to try to determine how Jayden died and our management of various crime scenes in and around Didcot will be dependent on the outcome of that post-mortem."

22-year-old Ben Blakeley, Jayden’s former boyfriend, has been charged with her murder and perverting the course of justice.