Parents of teen missing since July charged with her murder

The parents of 17-year-old Bernadette Walker reported her missing on July 21 after she was last seen on July 18. The search for the missing teen was announced to be a murder investigation on Friday, September 11. Cambridgeshire police arrested her parents Sarah and Scott Walker from their Peterborough, Cambridgeshire home. They appeared at Peterborough Magistrates' Court and were charged with murder. On Wednesday, September 16, they will have their hearing in Peterborough Crown Court. The couple's relatives are stunned by the arrest. The investigation is ongoing while the teen continues to remain missing.

In July, Bernadette reportedly ran out of the family car and did not return home. On July 20, around 1 am, Sarah claims that she received a text from her daughter saying that she will be back home soon. However, when she still failed to return, her parents informed the police of her disappearance.

After she was reported missing, Sarah took to social media to ask people to help locate the teen. She wrote an emotional post talking about how her eldest daughter was scared of the dark. The 37-year-old woman pointed out that the teen might be hiding at a friend's place too scared to return home. She appealed to the teen's friends to help the find their child.

Nearly two months since Bernadette went missing, she is being presumed dead. The police announced that they are launching a "no-body" murder investigation. On Monday, September 14, Sarah and her 50-year-old husband were taken in police custody.

The couple who have nine children, their youngest being six-months-old, have been charged with the murder of their daughter. They appeared for their virtual hearing at Peterborough Magistrates' Court. They will remain in police custody until their next hearing.

Speaking to The Sun, Scott's sister said that they were not informed of the arrest. When they heard about it on the news, they were baffled. Sarah's mother, Pat Dickinson, said that she is hopeful that her granddaughter will be found alive soon. She said that the police had informed her of the arrest but had not shared what evidence they had to charge the couple.

The investigators have searched the Walker family's home, three garages, and some open lands in Cowbit north of Peterborough. Detective Superintendent Jon Hutchinson stated that the investigators have made "significant progress in the investigation." However, they have not been able to locate Bernadette. He urged anyone with any relevant information to call 101 and quote Operation Penshaw or use the online chat function to help with the investigation.