A serving Metropolitan Police officer has been arrested over the disappearance of Sarah Everand in a ‘serious’ and ‘disturbing’ development in the search.
The 33-year-old marketing executive ‘vanished into thin air’ after leaving a friend’s house in Clapham, south London at around 9pm on Wednesday, March 3.
CCTV footage from a doorbell camera captured Miss Everand as she walked along the A205 Poynders Road towards Tulse Hill at around 9.30pm.
Officers yesterday sealed off a block of flats along Poynders Road as they began a forensic investigation close to where the Durham University graduate was last seen.
A Metropolitan Police officer was last night arrested in Kent in connection with the disappearance and today remains in custody in a London police station.
A woman was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Sarah Everard, 33, ‘vanished into thin air’ after leaving a friend’s house in Clapham, south London on Wednesday night for a 50-minute walk home
Police officers conduct a fingertip search of Poynders Road outside Poynders Court on the junction with Rodenhurst Road as they continue the search for Sarah Everard
The Metropolitan Police tonight described the development as ‘serious and significant,’ adding the fact the suspect is an officer is ‘deeply disturbing.’
Detective Chief Inspector Katherine Goodwin said: ‘This is a significant development in our inquiry. This is a fast moving investigation and we are doing everything we can to find Sarah.
‘We have seen an overwhelming response from the public and I repeat my request for anyone with information that may be relevant to come forward, no matter how insignificant it may seem.’
Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave said: ‘The arrest this evening is a serious and significant development.
Last night, a Metropolitan Police officer was arrested in Kent in connection with the disappearance. Pictured: The search outside Poynders Court
A woman was also arrested at the same address on suspicion of assisting an offender
Josh Lowth, 33, is the boyfriend of missing Sarah Everard, the woman seen walking between Clapham Junction and Brixton. The couple spoke for around 15 minutes on the phone before Sarah’s disappearance
‘We will continue to work with all speed on this investigation but the fact that the arrested man is a serving Metropolitan Police officer is both shocking and deeply disturbing.
‘I understand there will be significant public concern but it is essential that the investigative team are given the time and space to continue their work.’
The Metropolitan Police added the Directorate of Professional Standards is aware of the development.
Dozens of officers were last night involved in a search outside a block of flats along Poynders Road as Miss Everard’s disappearance entered its sixth day.
A short stretch of the South Circular was closed along Poynders Road, where the block of flats are, between Cavendish Road and Rodenhurst Road.
Forensic teams from Met Police were outside Poynders Court along the South Circular this evening after Met Police raised a 100-metre cordon during the search for missing Sarah Everard
Her family and friends released a plea for her return, saying: ‘Sarah, we are here for whenever you are ready’
Forensic officers were photographed looking through hedges and along the street as they searched for any evidence that could aid them in their search.
Met Police tweeted on Tuesday: ‘Were you driving in the Poynders Road area after 9.30pm on Wednesday 3rd March?
‘PLEASE check and double check your dash and door cams for footage.’
The search continued after it was revealed Miss Everard spent a quarter of an hour on her phone making plans to see her boyfriend Josh Lowth the following day, before her mobile was either switched off or ran out of battery.
Mr Lowth, 33, whose LinkedIn says he is Marketing Director at MA Exhibitions, later raised the alarm to police when she failed to meet him as she had arranged, her aunt confirmed.
Speaking at Mr Lowth’s family home in Sidcup, Kent, his father Chris told MailOnline: ‘We are concerned, like everybody is. We really, really want to see her back.’
Miss Everard had left a friend’s house at 9pm on Wednesday and had begun a 50 minute journey back to her home in Brixton
Teams were seen looking through bushes outside the block of flats as locals looked on. Met Police has urged anyone who was in Poynders Road at around 9.30pm last Wednesday to get in touch
‘The whole family is obviously very worried about her and just wants her home safely.
‘We’re all pulling together and praying that this awful situation is quickly resolved. We want to thank the media for all their help.’
Mr Lowth shared a Facebook post appealing for anyone who knows where Sarah is to get in touch with police.
He wrote on Facebook yesterday: ‘Sarah is still missing. Please share this post to help us to find her. Today, more than ever, we miss our strong, beautiful friend.’
Miss Everard’s last sighting on CCTV was at around 9.30pm on Poynder’s Road heading in the direction of Brixton where she lives alone.
Mr Lowth lives in a flat with friends in Clapham, which is a two minute drive from Poynder’s Road.
Forensic officers could been taking pictures of marked areas outside Poynders Court on Tuesday evening, as the search continues
Forensic officers were outside a block of flats in Poynders Road this evening, six days after Ms Everard disappeared last week
Her father Jeremy, 67, a professor of electronics at York University, and mother Sue, 64, a charity worker, are understood to have travelled to London from their home in York. They are being helped in the search by her sister Katie and brother James.
In a statement, the family said: ‘With every day that goes by we are getting more worried about Sarah.
‘She is always in regular contact with us and with her friends and it is totally out of character for her to disappear like this.
‘We long to see her and want nothing more than for her to be found safe and well.
‘We are so grateful to the police and all our friends for all they are doing.
‘We are desperate for news and if anyone knows anything about what has happened to her, we would urge you to please come forward and speak to the police. No piece of information is too insignificant.’