Women report being followed in area near where Sarah Everard vanished
Other women have been attacked on streets near where Sarah Everard, 33, vanished in south London, police are told as close friend pleads for information to find the ‘strong, beautiful’ marketing worker
- Women have come forward to officers to report being followed in area around Sarah Everard’s disappearance
- A close friend of the missing marketing worker revealed his devastation in a Facebook message last night
- Josh Lowth, 33, of Brixton, London, urged others to help find ‘our strong beautiful friend’ in a post online
- Sarah, 33, went missing while walking home to Brixton from a friend’s house in Clapham on Wednesday night
- London Met Police and search and rescue have been searching ponds in Clapham Common over two days
- Ms Everard was last seen wearing a green rain jacket and navy blue trousers with a white diamond pattern
- The Met says its Specialist Crime Command is leading the investigation which they say continues ‘at pace’
- Police have spoken to more than 750 people and urge anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage to get in touch
Other women have been attacked in the streets around where Sarah Everard vanished, detectives have reportedly been told, as the search goes on for the missing marketing worker.
The 33-year-old, described by close friends as ‘strong and beautiful’, went missing on Wednesday night while walking home from a friend’s house in Clapham, south west London.
She is believed to have walked across Clapham Common towards her home in Brixton, and was last seen on CCTV in Poynders Road.
As the search for Ms Everard today enters its sixth day, police investigating her disappearance have reportedly been told of previous assaults on women in the area.
The Metropolitan Police received a report of a sexual assault on a lone female in January, on a road half-a-mile away from where Ms Everard was last seen, according to the Times.
Other women have also reportedly come forward to the police, saying they were followed by groups of men in nearby Balham. Another woman claimed she was followed while walking with a buggy, the Times report adds.
It comes as a close friend of Ms Everard yesterday made an emotional appeal for her safe return.
Josh Lowth, 33, of Brixton, London, revealed his devastation in a Facebook message and urged others to help find ‘our strong beautiful friend’ by ‘sharing this post’.
Mr Lowth, a marketing director, said: ‘Sarah is still missing. Please share this post to help us to find her. Today more than ever we miss our strong beautiful friend.’
Meanwhile Mark Berlingeri, a family friend in the American village of Sandy Hook, Connecticut, also tweeted: ‘To my friends across the pond, one of my colleagues Chris Lowth, … and his family are enduring an unimaginable scare. I appreciate you taking a look below.’
Mr Birlingeri then tweeted a link to an appeal to find Sarah which began: ‘Chris’ son’s girlfriend Sarah went missing.’
CCTV images released showed Sarah Everard, 33, in a white hat before her disappearance on Wednesday night. Ms Everard was last seen walking between Clapham Junction and Brixton at 9pm and it is unclear if she made it home before vanishing
A team from London Search and Rescue assist police on Clapham Common in south London
Close friend Josh Lowth, 33, of Brixton, London, urged others to help find ‘our strong beautiful friend’ by ‘sharing this post’ as the search for Sarah Everard continues
It comes as the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime Command, who are leading the investigation, said a white hat found in a bush yesterday did not belong to the missing woman.
The white hat was found by a member of the public and the Met’s investigators reportedly cordoned off an area of Clapham Common as they continued to search for clues.
Officers were seen examining the white bobble hat this afternoon after it was found on Clapham Common, South London, close to where Ms Everard vanished.
However a spokesman for the force has since told MailOnline they have ruled out any connection between the hat and Ms Everard’s disappearance.
Meanwhile, investigators have widened the search beyond Clapham Common.
A source close to the investigation told the Evening Standard: ‘It’s like she just disappeared into thin air (after the last CCTV sighting). We think she went up Poynders Road because it’s usually busy and safer than the back routes.’
Yesterday, Sarah’s uncle Nick Everard pleaded for any abductor holding her against her will to ‘be human’ and release her.
He added Sarah’s phone is ‘not ringing’ and the Whatsapp messages the family have sent her have not been received.
He told The Sun: ‘If someone is holding her against her will I would plead with them just to be human and to let her come home, to let her talk to us, give us a ring or text to let us know she is OK.’
The father-of-four, a building company director from Coventry, added that these are ‘desperate times’ for the family and said it was ‘agonising’ not knowing ‘what has happened after four days’.
Mr Everard added that Sarah’s parents, his sister-in-law and brother who is a York University professor, were ‘beside themselves with worry’.
He told The Sun Sarah had ‘no troubles’, has a boyfriend, and recently started a new job as a marketing manager.
Police have said they remain ‘open-minded as to all possibilities’ over her disappearance.
Det Ch Insp Katherine Goodwin, who is leading the Metropolitan Police’s investigation, said: ‘This is definitely a missing person investigation at the moment but I remain open-minded as to all possibilities in the investigation.’
Providing an update to the media outside Scotland Yard in central London this afternoon, Ms Goodwin said efforts to find Ms Everard continue ‘at pace’.
She said: ‘We are currently knocking on doors. We’ve spoken to over 750 different people and addresses have been visited.
‘We continue to receive hundreds of calls from the public. We’ve received over a hundred calls so far.’
Police investigating the disappearance of the 33-year-old have said a white hate found in a bush this morning did not belong to the missing woman as the search for clues enters its fifth day. The force ruled out a connection with the hat this afternoon
Police search Long Pond on Clapham Common for missing woman Sarah Everard, 33, who left a friend’s house in Clapham
Police officers use specialist equipment to search Long Pond on Clapham Common for clues to help their investigation
She said police had reviewed hours of CCTV around Ms Everard’s movements on the night she was last seen.
Ms Goodwin appealed for anyone with more footage to come forward, particularly people with a dash cam, such as delivery drivers, who may have been driving along Poynders Road at around 9pm on Wednesday.
‘The evidence that you have on your dash cam could be absolutely vital to finding Sarah,’ she said.
The 33-year-old was last seen wearing was last seen wearing a green rain jacket, navy blue trousers with a white diamond pattern, and turquoise and orange trainers. She is also thought to have been wearing green earphones and a white beanie hat.
The force released new information about the route she took home after leaving a friend’s home via a back gate in Clapham at about 9pm.
Officers have now revealed Sarah was spotted on CCTV at approximately 9.30pm on Wednesday.
She was walking alone on the A205 Poynders Road, from the junction with Cavendish Road, in the direction of Tulse Hill.
Specialist Met Police officers in Long Pond on Clapham Common as the search for Sarah Everard enters its fifth day
The search continued this morning as officers from were seen searching the grounds of Poynders Gardens Estate, Clapham
Police search near Poynders Road, Clapham where missing poster asks for help to find Sarah who went missing five days ago
A police diver emerges from a pond at Poynders Gardens Estate as the extensive search for Sarah Everard continues
Met said an extensive investigation is underway, including house enquiries to establish whether there were any sightings
It appears to suggest she walked through Clapham Common and was walking towards her home, although the force said it is unclear whether she did return to her house.
The Met said an extensive investigation is underway, including searches and house-to-house enquiries to establish whether there were any further sightings of Sarah beyond that which was captured on CCTV.
The investigation continues to be treated as a missing person’s enquiry but due to its complex nature and concerns for Sarah’s welfare, the Met’s Specialist Crime Command has now taken the lead, they have said.
The Met’s Specialist Crime Command provides specialised policing on serious and complex investigations including homicides and major crimes.
Sarah Everard’s sister shared a heartfelt plea on her Instagram page as she thanked supporters who have helped so far
An appeal poster in Brixton, south London, for information on missing Sarah Everard, 33
Police search Poynders Gardens Estate in Clapham, London, on Monday morning shortly before a cordon was set up nearby
A Met spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘This case is still very much a missing person’s case. Our specialist teams work on a variety of different incidents and have more resources and experience dealing with a missing person.’
Det Ch Insp Katherine Goodwin said: ‘I would like to stress that there is no information at this stage to suggest anything untoward may have happened to Sarah.
‘The focus remains on returning her home to her family safe and well and that is our number one priority.
‘I would like to thank Sarah’s family and friends, the local community and members of the public for their help to raise awareness of this appeal and for coming forward with information.
‘I would urge anybody who has information or noticed any suspicious activity in the area to contact us if you haven’t already. ‘
Yesterday Earlier today, teams were photographed searching Clapham Common where Sarah Everard is thought to have been walking before she disappeared.
The 33-year-old was last seen walking between Clapham Junction and Brixton at 9pm on Wednesday.
Ms Everard was last seen wearing a green rain jacket, navy blue trousers, a white hat, and turquoise and orange trainers
A police boat with a search dog traverses the Mount pond and its island for any signs of Sarah Everard who has disappeared
This is the second day in a row police officers have headed out in a boat with a sniffer dog to search bodies of water for clues
Her family, who are from York, have travelled down to London as the search continues and have said they are growing more worried with every day she has not been found.
Aunt Jane Everard, of Bolton, Lancashire, told The Sun: ‘We’re devastated. It is so out of character for her.
‘She has a very big circle of friends from Durham, where she was at university and down in London. It has been a real shock. We are all so worried.’
Sarah left her friend’s house in Leathwaite Road, Clapham, through a back gate on to the A205 South Circular and began walking to her home address in Brixton, the force said.
It is thought she walked across Clapham Common and was expected to arrive home around 50 minutes later. It is not clear if she did return home, the Met said.
Ms Everard was last seen wearing a green rain jacket, navy blue trousers with a white diamond pattern, and turquoise and orange trainers.
She is thought to have been wearing green earphones and a white beanie hat.
Yesterday, London Metropolitan Police released a fresh appeal to find her and told MailOnline it was searching the ponds in Clapham Common for her yesterday afternoon.
Police carry out search of a pond on Clapham Common with a sniffer dog as they look for clues
Ms Everard is thought to have walked across Clapham Common, and was due to arrive home in Brixton 50 minutes later but has not been seen since she left her friends house that evening
They were joined by London Search and Rescue volunteers who said they had been searching the park since Friday night.
Detectives have released new information about where missing Sarah Everard was last seen on CCTV.
The Metropolitan Police said Ms Everard, 33, was spotted in footage walking alone on the A205 Poynders Road, from the junction with Cavendish Road, in the direction of Tulse Hill, in south London at around 9.30pm on Wednesday.
The investigation is being led by the Met’s Specialist Crime Command because of the ‘complex nature’ of the case, the force said.
Detective Chief Inspector Katherine Goodwin said: ‘I would like to stress that there is no information at this stage to suggest anything untoward may have happened to Sarah.
‘The focus remains on returning her home to her family safe and well and that is our number one priority.
‘I would like to thank Sarah’s family and friends, the local community and members of the public for their help to raise awareness of this appeal and for coming forward with information.
‘I would urge anybody who has information or noticed any suspicious activity in the area to contact us if you haven’t already. ‘
In a statement, Ms Everard’s family said: ‘With every day that goes by we are getting more worried about Sarah.
‘She is always in regular contact with us and with her friends and it is totally out of character for her to disappear like this.
‘We long to see her and want nothing more than for her to be found safe and well.
‘We are so grateful to the police and all our friends for all they are doing.
‘We are desperate for news and if anyone knows anything about what has happened to her, we would urge you to please come forward and speak to the police. No piece of information is too insignificant.’
Reports suggest Sarah spoke with her partner on the phone on her way home to Brixton on Wednesday evening and talked for about 15 minutes about how their day had been and discussed plans to see each other the following day.
Friends have said they believe something happened to her after the call ended at 21.28.
Sarah Everard (pictured), 33, was last seen walking between Clapham Junction and Brixton at 9pm on Wednesday
Met Police were joined by London Search and Rescue volunteers who said they had been searching Clapham Common
The London rescue team has said that they’ve found ‘nothing significant’ so far in their search for missing woman, Sarah Everard.
A combination of volunteers and the police have ramped up the search for the woman, who went missing in the Clapham area on Wednesday night.
This morning, a member of the rescue team confirmed that ‘nothing significant’ has been found in the search.
Sarah’s Uncle Doug told the Sun she had moved to London about 12 years ago and that she also had a sister and brother who also lived in London.
He added: ‘She is lovely, a really lovely young lady, very sensible.
‘The police are keeping my brother informed and we are on the end of a phone.
‘It is a really tough time. They are devastated and they are desperate to find out anything they can.
‘None of us really know anything.
‘They have always been a very very close family. Sarah, her parents and her sister and brother, they are all in touch on a regular basis.
Sarah’s best friend Rose, a teacher, told the Brixton Blog: ‘Sarah and I met many years ago whilst studying together at Durham University.
‘She has always been an exceptional friend, dropping everything to be there to support her friends, whenever they need her.
Pictured: A team seen searching undergrowth yesterday. She is thought to have left Leathwaite Road through a back gate
‘It was only recently that she was telling me the good news about her new role as a senior marketing account manager which she was excited to start.
‘She is a beautiful, thoughtful and incredibly kind friend. It is extremely uncharacteristic of her to have gone missing, which is why we are all deeply concerned something has happened to her.’
Detective Chief Inspector Ian Kenward, from the Central South Public Protection Team, said: ‘Sarah’s disappearance is completely out of character and understandably her family and friends are incredibly worried.
‘We are also growing increasingly concerned for her welfare and have officers working round the clock to try and find her.
‘I would ask anybody who was in the Clapham Common area on Wednesday night to think about whether you saw Sarah or any suspicious activity around the time of her disappearance.’
Det Ch Insp Ian Kenward, from the Central South Public Protection Team says ‘her family and friends are incredibly worried’
Her family and friends released a plea for her return, saying: ‘Sarah, we are here for whenever you are ready’
Her family and friends released a plea for Ms Everard’s return yesterday, saying: ‘Sarah, we are here for whenever you are ready.’
Ms Everard, from Lambeth, is 5ft 4 with blonde hair and was carrying a transparent case with green in-ear Bluetooth headphones.
Her loved ones added: ‘We can listen, talk you through what help you need, pass a message for you and help you to be safe.’
Specialist officers and volunteers from London Search and Rescue are carrying out searches in the area of Clapham Common and the walking route between Clapham and Brixton.
Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting CAD 3309/06MAR. Information can also be provided anonymously by calling the Missing People charity on 116 000.
People with information can also contact the incident room on 0208 785 8244 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
