‘We may find other human remains’: Police chief speaks out in search for missing girl

A Gloucestershire police chief says he hopes to solve the mystery of what is lurking under Clean Plate’s cafe once and for all.

During a candid interview, Senior Investigating Officer DCI John Turner said he could ‘other human remains’ or Mary Bastholm under the building on Southgate Street.

The 15-year-old’s disappearance has long been linked to serial killers Fred and Rose West.

Detectives announced this week that they have unearthed significant evidence at Clean Plate cafe and will start excavating the site.

Officers said that their search would continue in six ‘void’ areas in the cellar after a blue material was located there.

Mary worked at the cafe when it was known as the Pop-In some 50 years ago, and Fred was a customer.

After an ITV Trevor McDonald-fronted documentary crew presented Gloucestershire police with new findings a fresh search of the cafe was launched.

This evening (May 18), a video was released with Mr Turner saying: “I honestly don’t know what we are going to find in the basement.

“It could be we find Mary, it could be we find nothing, or it could be – because the basement is on a site of archaeological interest – because Gloucester has been there since the Roman times, we may find other human remains.

“The most important thing is, I’ve now got the opportunity to find out once and for all what is in the basement.

“The police’s job is to find the truth and the truth will be found for the benefit of Mary and for the benefit of the family.

“I think it’s really important once and for all to find out what’s going on and I hope this can bring some kind of closure for the family and the wider community.”

Sadly, both dad Christian and mum Doreen died before they could find out the truth about their daughter and agonisingly Mary’s brother Peter passed away just last summer.

It’s been reported that Fred West told his son Stephen that he had killed Mary, but never admitted it to police.

Speaking about this admission, Mr Turner said: “The trouble with that is, Fred often lied to the investigating officers throughout the investigation.

“So just because Fred said it, it doesn’t mean to say it’s true.”

Fred took his own life in prison in January 1995 before he could face trial for the 11 murders police suspected him of.

Rose is 67 years old and currently serving a whole life term in prison for her part in 10 murders.

The couple are reported to have committed at least 12 murders between 1967 and 1987, torturing them in a ‘sex dungeon’ and burying them in their cellar and garden.

Mary was on her way to play Monopoly with Tim Merrett in nearby Hardwicke when she went missing.

Source: (Gloucestershire Live)