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Frantic police hunt in rural beauty spot after bodies found

August 19 2002

Arrested: Maxine Carr and Ian Huntley. Photos: AFP

A dusty dirt track stretched towards the spot where two bodies were found, a site which is now at the centre of a frantic police hunt for evidence.

White-suited forensics officers combed the area, dressed in the "moon suits" of white paper, their shoes clad with white plastic covers to ensure they did not contaminate any evidence.

No vehicles are permitted to travel down the track, forcing the forensic specialists to walk the 400 metres along the rutted lane to the spot where the bodies lie, concealed by a densely wooded area.

To the right of the track a field of golden corn swayed gently in the wind and on its other side a line of trees conceal it from a country road.

It was an isolated and lonely spot where the crisscross of electricity cables and the fields of crops were the only signs of human activity.

The only building visible was the steeple of nearby Wangford Church, which sits 500 metres behind the line of trees.

A cluster of trees concealed the area where the bodies were found, with the debris of the police investigation littering the track, including boxes and the remainders of the blue and white police tape used to seal off the area.

At the far end of the dirt track, barely visible to the naked eye, a second line of police tape marks the spot where the bodies were found.

No-one knows how long the bodies had lain there but police are working around the clock in a frantic bid to discover if they are indeed those of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

Waist-high weeds including stinging nettles line the track and reeds grow beside the row of trees, suggesting a murky dark line of water lies beneath them.

It is hard to imagine a more isolated and remote spot, set in the heart of the open Suffolk countryside where few landmarks interrupt the flat horizon.

Detective Chief Insp Andy Hebb, who was helicoptered to the scene late Saturday night, said he had come directly from a personal briefing with Cambridgeshire's Chief Constable.

He told reporters: "This is going to be a long, long task.

"We have to make sure that we carefully assess the scene."



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