TEENAGER ALICE GROSS has now been missing for three weeks, and the investigation into her disappearance has intensified after recent disturbing revelations about the main suspect.
Arnis Zalkalns, 41, who had been working in the English capital as a builder, was last seen on 3 September, and was captured on CCTV, cycling close to the 14-year-old girl in south west London on 28 August, the day she disappeared.
As the case has progressed in recent days, the Metropolitan police has come under fire for perceived failings in their investigations.
Today, Labour MP Keith Vaz said he was “very concerned” that UK police had delayed in contacting their Latvian counterparts regarding their chief suspects past history of violence.
Here’s how the case has developed so far:
Detective Superintendent Carl Mehta stresses: “At this stage, we simply want to speak to him…”
On 18 September, the British media reports that Zalkalns was convicted of stabbing his wife Rudite to death in 1997, in his native Latvia.
He served five and a half years in prison, before being released in December 2003. He emigrated to Britain in 2007, according to the Daily Telegraph.
The allegations were dropped, however, and no charges were ever brought.
The tone of police appeals changes significantly, and on 18 September Zalkalns is officially designated as a suspect.
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