Police say they believe missing woman is dead - as third arrest made

Police looking for a woman who has been missing for more than a month say they now believe she is dead.

Reanne Coulson, 34, was last seen leaving a food bank near St Mary and Benedict Church in Coventry on 21 May, and her family reported her missing when she failed to make contact with them on her birthday on 17 June.

Specialist search teams, including police dogs, have been searching Binley Woods as well as other areas of land in neighbouring Warwickshire since Wednesday.

West Midlands Police said that "policing intelligence" related to telecommunications has led them to the area.

A 38-year-old was detained just before 4pm on Wednesday in the Coventry area on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and remains in custody, as does a man, aged 42, who was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of murder.

A third suspect, a 53-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of kidnap and murder, but was released on bail with strict conditions while the investigation continues.

In a fresh appeal for information about her daughter's whereabouts, Ms Coulson's mother, Lynne Sparkes, said: "Is there anybody out there that knows anything about Reanne's disappearance?

"From one parent to another, you can only imagine how I'm feeling. Please come forward to give our family some closure. I just want my baby back."

Ms Coulson's twin sister, Kirsten, said in an appeal on Monday that her sister was a sex worker who lived a "chaotic life", but added that it was "out of the ordinary" not to have heard from her.

Speaking at the scene of the search on Thursday, she said: "Words can't describe the pain we are all feeling. She is my other half, my best friend, my everything. I am just broken in two. We have a bond like no other.

"Our family are desperate, and we need your help to find her, no matter what, just bring her home."

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Ms Coulson is believed to have been wearing a black hoodie with large red writing on the back, black jeans with tears in the front, and white footwear, and had a small black handbag worn on her left side when she disappeared.

Detective Superintendent Jim Munro, from the force's major crime unit, said: "I know there are people in the area of Coventry that have information relating to her (Ms Coulson's) whereabouts and I ask that they come forward and speak to the police, that they look at other channels such as Crimestoppers to provide that information to allow us to locate Reanne, as we sadly now believe she is deceased."

West Midlands Police said more than 100 officers are “working round the clock” to find Ms Coulson and have viewed hundreds of hours of CCTV and taken more than 50 statements from potential witnesses as part of the investigation.

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