Murder arrest after body found in searches for missing Bolton woman

GMP have confirmed that officers searching for a woman missing from Bolton have found a body.

Although formal identification is yet to take place, they say the woman matches Mariann’s description.

She has been missing from Bolton since Saturday 14 December with searches taking place since, including several appeals to the local community .

GMP have not released her full name in their appeals, and say their initial enquiries suggest there are suspicious circumstances around the death.

A 61-year-old man has since been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in custody for questioning.

We're told Mariann’s family have been informed of the development and are now being supported by family liaison officers.

Chief Superintendent Helen Critchley, from GMP's Bolton district, said: "This is a tragic development to our extensive search for Mariann, which we desperately hoped would not be the case so close to Christmas. Our thoughts are with her family at this distressing time.

"We are now continuing to work hard to establish the full circumstances in order to bring answers and seek justice for this woman as our enquiries develop.

"We would like to thank members of the local Bolton community who have spoken to our officers and tried to help us with our search since last week, which included sharing our appeals."

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