SIAN O'CALLAGHAN: Officers 'very close to identifying Sian's whereabouts' (From Swindon Advertiser)

SIAN O'CALLAGHAN: Officers 'very close to identifying Sian's whereabouts'

9:00am Thursday 24th March 2011 in News

THE detective in charge of the search for Sian O’Callaghan said officers were “getting very close” to identifying her whereabouts.

The news comes as people from all across the town turned out at a candlelit vigil to pray for the missing 22-year-old’s safe return.

Today officers and police dogs will be back in Savernake Forest to continue their search.

Speaking after another full day of searching the dense woodland yesterday, Detective Superinten-dent Steve Fulcher, pictured, said: “We have made good progress in narrowing the search using a number of technologies and techniques and I believe we are getting very close to identifying Sian’s whereabouts.

“Searches will be limited by available daylight but we will be further assisted by specialist dog teams and resume the search effort as soon as daylight permits.

“While I still want anyone with information to contact police I am not asking for any more public assistance with searches at this stage.”

Around 60 officers, and another 50 volunteers from Wiltshire Search and Rescue (WILSAR), conducted thorough fingertip searches of smaller areas after research of the mobile phone signal strengths in the area suggested certain parts were hotspots.

Officers were stationed at the entrance to the Postern Hill camping site, turning away eager members of the public who wanted to resume Tuesday’s hunt.

Sian left Suju nightclub in Old Town at 2.52am on Saturday and has not been seen since.

A signal from her phone, an LG E900 Optimus 7, was picked up in the Savernake Forest area at 3.24am.

Sian is 5ft 3in tall, medium build, brown hair, green eyes. She was wearing a grey dress, black bolero style jacket, dark coloured tights and flat boots and had a dark handbag with a beige flower attached.

In a media briefing at the forest, Chief Superintendent Steve Hedley thanked the press and public for their help.

“The public have given us loads of information and we have had a huge response,” he said.

And he said that the office administrator’s family were dealing with the situation as best they could.

“Sian’s family are coping as any of us would – it is awful for them,” he said.

Please contact police immediately if you saw Sian, anyone with her, or any vehicles either after she left Suju or in or near beauty spots between Swindon and Savernake between 3am and 4am.

Any information, no matter how trivial it may seem, could be vital to police enquiries.