English Town Fears Missing Girls Were Murdered

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, August 19, 2002

English Town Fears Missing Girls Were Murdered

In a case that has transfixed Britain, police said Sunday they are almost certain two bodies found in a nature preserve are those of missing 10-year-old girls.

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In a case that has transfixed Britain, police said Sunday they are almost certain two bodies found in a nature preserve are those of missing 10-year-old girls. They received permission to continue questioning a teaching assistant and her school caretaker boyfriend.

Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman disappeared Aug. 4 from their rural hometown of Soham, near Cambridge. Their bodies were found Saturday a few miles away.

"It may be some days yet before we are able to positively identify the two bodies," said Deputy Chief Constable Keith Hoddy outside the town's Church of St. Andrew, where hundreds of residents had gathered earlier in the day to pray for the girls and their families.

"However, we are as certain as we possibly can be tonight that they are those of Holly and Jessica."

Bowing his head, he lead the assembled journalists to hold a moment of silence.

Hoddy then read a statements from the girls' parents. Jessica's parents, Sharon and Leslie Chapman, thanked friends, family and police for their support and kindness and appealed for privacy. Holly's parents, Nicola and Kevin Wells, said they were "numb after losing our gorgeous daughter."

The case has gripped Britain, dominating the front pages of newspapers and receiving round-the-clock television news coverage.

Police indicated Saturday they had given up hope of finding the girls alive when they arrested the two suspects.

Source: Agencies

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