Death of Sian O'Callaghan

Sian O'Callaghan
Born	Sian Emma O'Callaghan[1] 1988
Disappeared	19 March 2011 Swindon, Wiltshire, England
Body discovered	24 March 2011(2011-03-24) Uffington, Oxfordshire, England
Residence	Swindon, Wiltshire, England[2]
Nationality	British
Ethnicity	White British
Occupation	Office administrator[3]
Known for	Murder victim
Home town	Swindon, Wiltshire, England
Parents	Mick and Elaine[3]

Sian O'Callaghan was a 22-year-old British woman who disappeared from Swindon, Wiltshire, having last been seen at a nightclub in the town in the early hours of 19 March 2011. A 47-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of kidnap and subsequently gave the location of O'Callaghan's body to police. Her body was found on 24 March 2011 near Uffington in Oxfordshire. The suspect was later charged with O'Callaghan's murder and held under suspicion of a second murder.

O'Callaghan's murder has been linked to the murder of Melanie Hall, a 25-year-old woman who was last seen alive in June 1996 and whose remains were found in October 2009.^[4] Other disappearances connected to the Melanie Hall case could also be linked to O'Callaghan's disappearance and murder.^[4]

Timeline

Savernake Forest was searched extensively by police and members of the public

At 0252 GMT on 19 March 2011, O'Callaghan was captured on CCTV leaving Swindon's Suju nightclub to walk 800 metres (0.50 mi) to the flat in Swindon's old town^[2] that she shared with her boyfriend, Kevin Reape.^[5] Reape sent O'Callaghan an SMS at 0324 GMT; analysis later showed that her mobile phone was in the Savernake Forest area – 12 miles (19 km) away – at the time the message was received.^[6] At 0945, Reape contacted the police and reported O'Callaghan as missing.^[5]

On 20 March, the police issued their first public appeal for information, and announced that they had begun searching Savernake Forest.^[5] They stated that the time that elapsed between O'Callaghan's appearance on the club's CCTV and her mobile phone signal (0252 and 0324 respectively) meant that the journey from Swindon to the forest could only have been made by car.^[7] On 22 March, approximately 400 members of the public joined the police in their search of the forest.^[7] The same day, an anonymous donor offered a £20,000 reward for information that would lead to finding O'Callaghan.^[5]

On 23 March, police announced that analysis of O'Callaghan's mobile phone signals led to the identification of a number of "hot spots" to be investigated. Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher of Wiltshire Police said that the investigation was moving at a "rapid pace", and that "significant lines of inquiry" were being developed.^[5] Members of the public were asked to stand down from searches.^[5]

On 24 March, police made an urgent appeal for witnesses of a green Toyota Avensis with taxi markings, which had been seen between Swindon and Savernake Forest shortly after O'Callaghan's disappearance.^[8]

Arrest and discovery of bodies

O'Callaghan went missing from Swindon and her body was found near Uffington (top-right). Savernake Forest is located at the bottom of the map.

On the afternoon of 24 March, police arrested Christopher Halliwell, a 47-year-old taxi driver who has two daughters and a son and lives in Swindon with his partner,^[3] on suspicion of kidnapping and double murder.^[4][9] The arrest was made at an Asda supermarket in north Swindon, where a green Toyota Avensis taxi was also seized.^[3][9] The suspect gave police the locations of two bodies.^[10] Later the same day, O'Callaghan's body was found in a shallow grave near Uffington, Oxfordshire.^[6][11]

On 25 March, police announced that they had begun searching for a second body on farmland between the villages of Eastleach in Gloucestershire and Filkins in Oxfordshire,^[10][12] stating that they believe it was linked to the only outstanding missing persons inquiry in Wiltshire.^[13] Halliwell appeared at Swindon Magistrates' Court, where police were granted an additional 24 hours for questioning.^[12] On 26 March it was announced that human remains had been found as part of the Eastleach search.^[5] At 2120 GMT, Halliwell was charged with O'Callaghan's murder.^[14]

Investigation

After the discovery of the bodies, police began investigations to determine the causes of death and to confirm the identity of the Eastleach discovery.^[6] During a news conference on 26 March, Det Supt Fulcher said that Halliwell had told police that the remains were those of a woman abducted from Swindon some time between 2003 and 2005.^[6] Fulcher also stated that tests revealed that O'Callaghan had not been sexually assaulted.^[6]

During the subsequent investigation, police were approached by officers investigating the murder of Melanie Hall, who was murdered after disappearing from a Bath nightclub in 1996.^[4]

On 1 April, the inquest at Oxford coroner's court was told that it was likely O'Callaghan died from head injuries, though a forensic pathologist from the Home Office had yet to confirm a precise cause of death.^[15]

On 5 April, police stated that the second body was that of Rebecca 'Becky' Godden-Edwards,^[16] a Swindon woman who was born on 4 April 1982^[17][18] and last seen alive in 2002 at the age of 20.^[19] Halliwell was charged with the murder of Becky Godden-Edwards on 23 May.^[20]

Funeral

O'Callaghan's funeral was held at Kingsdown Crematorium on 18 April 2011.^[2]

See also

• List of unsolved murders in the United Kingdom

References

1. ^ UK Births 1837-2006
2. ^ ^{a b c} Tearful crowds say farewell to murdered Sian O'Callaghan
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Gammell, Caroline (25 March 2011). "Sian O'Callaghan 'knew murder suspect taxi driver through his children'". Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8405913/Sian-OCallaghan-knew-murder-suspect-taxi-driver-through-his-children.html. Retrieved 28 March 2011. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Gammell, Caroline (24 March 2011). "Hunt for missing Sian O'Callaghan turns into double murder investigation". Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8405418/Hunt-for-missing-Sian-OCallaghan-turns-into-double-murder-investigation.html. Retrieved 27 March 2011. 
5. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "Timeline: Sian O'Callaghan murder". BBC Online. 27 March 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-12853461. Retrieved 27 March 2011. 
6. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Sian police find human remains in Gloucestershire". BBC Online. 27 March 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-12864918. Retrieved 27 March 2011. 
7. ^ ^{a b} "Hundreds search forest for missing Sian O'Callaghan". BBC Online. 22 March 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-12815551. Retrieved 27 March 2011. 
8. ^ "Sian O'Callaghan search officers make taxi appeal". BBC Online. 24 March 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-12847471. Retrieved 27 March 2011. 
9. ^ ^{a b} "Sian O'Callaghan search: Kidnap arrest made in Swindon". BBC Online. 24 March 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12845965. Retrieved 27 March 2011. 
10. ^ ^{a b} "Sian O'Callaghan found dead amid fears over second body". BBC Online. 24 March 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-12852499. Retrieved 27 March 2011. 
11. ^ "Sian O'Callaghan: Police get more time to question man". BBC Online. 26 March 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-12869211. Retrieved 27 March 2011. 
12. ^ ^{a b} "Timeline of the Sian O'Callaghan case". Guardian. 26 March 2011. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/mar/26/sian-ocallaghan-missing-timeline. Retrieved 27 March 2011. 
13. ^ Crabtree, David (26 March 2011). "Sian Police Probe Missing Women Links". Sky News. http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Video-Sian-OCallaghan-Police-Probe-Links-To-Two-Other-Missing-Woman-As-They-Hunt-For-Second-Body/Article/201103415959918?lpos=UK_News_Carousel_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15959918_Video%2C_Sian_OCallaghan%3A_Police_Probe_Links_To_Two_Other_Missing_Woman_As_They_Hunt_For_Second_Body_. Retrieved 27 March 2011. 
14. ^ "Man charged with Sian O'Callaghan murder". BBC Online. 27 March 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12874160. Retrieved 27 March 2011. 
15. ^ "Sian O'Callaghan 'died of head injuries', inquest hears". BBC Online. 1 April 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-12931356. Retrieved 1 April 2011. 
16. ^ "Sian O'Callaghan police identify body found in Eastleach". BBC Online. 5 April 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12970112. Retrieved 5 April 2011. 
17. ^ Morris, Steven (5 April 2011). "The tragic fate of Becky Godden-Edwards". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/apr/05/tragic-fate-becky-godden-edwards. Retrieved 13 April 2011. 
18. ^ "Sian O'Callaghan murder: mother of 'second victim' Rebecca Godden-Edwards speaks of devastation". The Telegraph. 11 April 2011. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8442925/Sian-OCallaghan-murder-mother-of-second-victim-Rebecca-Godden-Edwards-speaks-of-devastation.html. Retrieved 13 April 2011. 
19. ^ Moir, Jan (8 April 2011). "Rebecca, just one more lost soul cut adrift by drugs". Mail Online (Associated Newspapers Ltd). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1374689/Sian-OCallaghan-murder-Rebecca-Godden-Edwards-lost-soul-cut-adrift-drugs.html. Retrieved 9 April 2011. 
20. ^ "Taxi driver Christopher Halliwell charged with second murder". BBC News (BBC). 23 May 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-13512501. Retrieved 23 May 2011.