The family of missing teenager Becky Watts have spoken of their devastation at hearing that body parts have been found in the search for her.
Avon and Somerset Police were granted an extra 24 hours to question a 28-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman on suspicion of murder and kidnapping the schoolgirl.
Four other people – three men and a woman – also remain in custody after being arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
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Her father, mother, stepmother, brother and grandparents have all spoken of their pain following the discovery made by detectives in the search for the 16-year-old, who has been missing since February 19th.
“To receive such news as we did today about our dear daughter and stepdaughter Becky is too much to bear,” Becky’s father and stepmother Darren and Anjie Galsworthy said. “We have the support of a good family network to help us in these challenging times.
“We would ask that you treat Becky with the due reverence and allow us to come to terms with our grief in private.”
The teenager’s mother, Tania Watts, brother Daniel and grandmother Pat said: “We are devastated to be told of this latest development.We are at an utter loss to understand why anyone would want to hurt our beautiful Becky in such a brutal way.
“We are grateful to the police for all they have done and are continuing to do in this investigation.
“Whilst there are people in custody, none of whom are connected to the Watts family, we will not be making any further comment and we ask that our privacy is respected at this horrific time.”
John Galsworthy, speaking on behalf of the Galsworthy family, paid tribute to Becky as a “wonderful” daughter, sister, granddaughter and niece.
“We are heartbroken at what has been discovered overnight,” Mr Galsworthy said. “We cannot begin to understand what has happened and why.
“Becky was a wonderful daughter, sister, granddaughter and niece and we cannot put into words how devastated we are.
“We are pulling together as a family and ask to be left alone at this time.”
Becky Watts vanished from her home in Crown Hill, St George, Bristol, at around 11.15am on February 19th.
She left home with her iPhone, laptop and tablet computer but did not tell friends or family where she was going, or take extra clothing.
She was reported missing at 4pm on February 20th and a large search operation – involving six police teams each day – was launched. Hundreds of leaflets were printed and pasted in windows, on cars and in shops, while a social media campaign, using the hashtag #FindBecky, gained thousands of hits.
The reach for the social media campaign to find her has been more than four million people worldwide.
Earlier on Tuesday, Detective Superintendent Mike Courtiour said that information received by police late on Monday led them to a house at Barton Court in the Barton Hill area of Bristol where body parts were found.
“The information suggested that Becky’s body had been cut up and a search at the new location resulted in the discovery of body parts,” he said.
“Although formal identification procedures have not yet been completed, we have made Becky’s family aware of this discovery.”
As part of the investigation, four men, aged 29, 29, 23 and 23, have been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, along with a 23-year-old woman. They will have to be released or charged on Wednesday.
The Barton Court address is two miles from Becky’s home and about 100m from her 17-year-old boyfriend’s home in Cotton Mill Lane. One line police are looking at is that she was going to see him on the day she vanished. An address that police have been focusing on is on the other side of the street to her boyfriend’s.
Forensic teams collected rubbish and food waste bins earlier from properties around the Barton Court area.
Floral tributes have begun to be left close to the house at Barton Court where police made the grim discovery. One simply read: “RIP Becky Watts.” Another said: “Becky, you will be sadly missed but never forgotten. Our hearts go out to ur (sic) family and friends on this sad day. Goodnight sleeptight you r (sic) with the angels now xxx.” PA