Alice Gross Murder: Inquest Hears Teenager's Body was Wrapped in a Bag

At the inquest into the murder of Alice Gross, a court has heard that the teenager's body was wrapped in a bag and weighted down by logs.

Alice's mother Rosalind Hodgkiss attended the formal opening of the inquest into the 14-year-old's death at West London Coroner's Court today. (10 October)

Coroner's officer John Chadwick told the court: "On September 30, as a result of a search of the River Brent, the body of Alice Gross was found by London Fire Brigade divers. The deceased was found submerged, wrapped in a bag and had been weighted down. Alice was pronounced life extinct at 22.45pm."

The court heard that Alice was identified by dental records, however a post-mortem examination on Alice's body was inconclusive and further tests are now being carried out.

Coroner Chinyere Inyama adjourned the hearing to January 29 next year.

He said: "Clearly there are other investigations ongoing, including the police inquiry."

Alice went missing from her home in Hanwell, west London, on 28 August. Just over a month later, her body was found hidden on the bed of the River Brent.

The body of the prime suspect, Arnis Zalkalns, was found in Boston Manor Park - a mile from where Alice's body was recovered - on October 4.

The Latvian vanished from his flat in Ealing a week after Alice is thought to have been abducted and murdered while walking home along a canal towpath.

Zalkalns was filmed cycling along the same route behind Alice on the day she went missing.

The Latvian had a previous conviction for the murder of his first wife and served seven years in prison in his native Latvia, but authorities in the UK had no record of his conviction.

Police have faced criticism for apparent delays in identifying Zalkalns as a suspect after he vanished on September 3 and was reported missing two days later.

Meanwhile, local residents who knew Zalkalns described him as a loner who regularly frequented the park where he watched schoolchildren after school.

His former landlord Radoslav Andric, 64, said: "He was a loner; he used to ride his bike around the park a lot. This park was like his escape from society. I believe that the last time I saw him he was on his way to the park."

Local cafe owner Alex Khan said: "He wasn't right, he was a very big weirdo. He would sometimes come in, order a coffee and say he liked to see the pretty little girls. It would always be between the hours that schools kicked out then he'd walk up to the park where they would all hang out."

The park runs alongside the Grand Union Canal, a mile from where Alice was last captured on CCTV.