Police Searching for Alice Gross Suspect Arnis Zalkalns Find Body

Police searching for a man wanted in connection with the murder of teenager Alice Gross have found a body in London.

It is reported that the body is Latvian convicted killer Arnis Zalkalns, although the Metropolitan Police have not confirmed this.

The body was found in dense woodland in Boston Manor Park, Hounslow.

Zalkalns had not been seen since 3 September, when he was recorded on CCTV crossing a bridge over the Grand Union canal in west London, 15 minutes after the schoolgirl.

The body of Gross, 14, was found in the River Brent on Tuesday night. A postmortem this week failed to identify how she died.

The BBC has reported the body was found in Boston Manor Park. However, the police have not confirmed this information.

Police have been searching for builder Zalkalns, 41, since the teenager's disappearance.

Zalkalns spent seven years in jail in Latvia after being convicted of murdering his wife, Rudite, with a knife then hiding her body.

The Home Office is believed to have been unaware of his conviction when he was allowed into the country in 2007.

Two years later he was arrested for a suspected indecent assault on a 14-year-old schoolgirl, but was never charged.

After their daughter's body was found, Alice's parents, Rosalind Hodgkiss and Jose Gross, spoke of their devastation.

"We have been left completely devastated by the recent developments and it is difficult to comprehend that our sweet and beautiful daughter was the victim of a terrible crime.

"Why anyone would want to hurt her is something that we are struggling to come to terms with. 

Alice was a loving and much loved daughter and sister, a quirky live spark of a girl, beautiful inside and out.

"She was a funny companion, a loyal friend, both passionate and compassionate, and so talented with a bright future ahead of her.

"She brought so much joy to our family and those who knew her.

"