(CNN) — Police in the UK will carry out excavation work at a café linked to infamous serial killer Fred West after reports of “possible evidence” that a body is buried there.
Forensic archaeologists called in to the Clean Plate café in Gloucester, southwestern England, have confirmed “there are a number of structural anomalies within the cellar that warrant further exploration,” according to Gloucestershire Constabulary in a statement published Monday.
The property is linked to the disappearance of Mary Bastholm, who was 15 when she went missing in 1968.
Her disappearance has been connected to West, who along with his wife, Rose, sexually abused and killed a succession of young women. The couple’s crimes spanned decades and they buried the bodies of their victims at their home in Gloucester.
In 1995 Rose West was given 10 life sentences and pronounced Britain’s most prolific female serial killer. Her husband, Fred, confessed then hanged himself in jail.
Fred West denied any involvement in Mary’s disappearance, and “no evidence was found at the time to support arresting Fred West in connection with Mary Bastholm,” said police.
Excavation work at the café will take several weeks and aims to establish if there are human remains present, said police.
Both Mary and Fred West were known to frequent the café, said detective chief inspector John Turner in an interview with local media Tuesday.
A production company filming a documentary at the café provided police with a photo showing what appears to be blue material buried in a void in the toilet area of the cellar, said Turner.
The blue material is significant because Mary was wearing a blue coat, a blue and white dress and had a blue bag when she went missing, Turner added.
“The analysis from our experts and the material provided by the production company means there is enough evidence to justify excavation work beginning,” said Turner in the police statement.
He hailed the “quiet dignity” of Mary’s family.
“They [Mary’s family] understand it is possible we won’t find human remains but they also know that we will do everything we can to establish if Mary is buried at this location,” said Turner.
Mary’s family issued a statement via the police, which read: “We are extremely happy Gloucestershire Constabulary is continuing to try and search for Mary and this gives us a chance to potentially put her at rest after all these years.”
Fred West reportedly confessed to killing Mary to his son, Stephen, but her body was not found at the Wests’ home, according to the PA media news agency.
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