Bobbi-Anne McLeod: Two men held as body found in search for missing Plymouth teenager

Two men have been arrested after the body of a woman was found in the hunt for missing Plymouth teenager Bobbi-Anne McLeod, who has not been seen since Saturday evening.

Devon and Cornwall Police announced on Tuesday evening that the body of a woman had been located during searches for the missing 18-year-old.

The two men are aged 24 and 26, police said, and are from Plymouth.

Chief Superintendent Matt Longman confirmed the discovery of a body “with great sadness” at a press conference later on Tuesday evening, saying that it was “weighing heavy on the people of Plymouth”.

Ms McLeod left her home in Leigham at about 6pm on Saturday evening and had been due to catch a bus into the city centre to meet friends.

She never arrived and Devon and Cornwall police have been conducting searches and inquiries across Plymouth, the force said, supported by a police helicopter.

A Facebook page created to help find her attracted more than 10,000 members, though the group was deleted on Tuesday as per the family’s wishes, according to a person who helped set it up.

Investigators said the body had been located near Bovisand in South Hams on the south coast of Devon after information was passed to the police.

Devon and Cornwall Police said formal identification has yet to be carried out, but that Ms McLeod’s family had been informed of the development and are being supported by officers.

Chief Superintendent Matt Longman said: “This is weighing heavy on the people of Plymouth tonight, it really is.

“And I would just like to send my thoughts to the friends and family of Bobbi-Anne; that actually feels like it’s a relatively inadequate thing to say at such a time.

“But we are continuing to do everything we can to understand exactly what’s happened around this event”.

He also thanked his teams and the public for their “dedication and efforts” and “working hand-in-hand tirelessly really over the last few days to try and find the location of Bobbi-Anne”.

Plymouth MP, Luke Pollard, urged the community to pull together as they had after the mass shooting in the Keyham area of the city this summer.

The Labour MP for Plymouth Sutton & Devonport tweeted: “It is devastating news for our city that a body has been discovered in the search for missing Bobbi-Anne.

“My thoughts and love are with the family. We await news from the police but this is another dark day for our city. Let’s pull together in the same way we did after Keyham.”

Leader of Plymouth City Council, Councillor Nick Kelly, said: “This is really tragic news. Bobbi-Anne McLeod was a young woman who had her whole life ahead of her. It is devastating that someone has chosen to take this away.

“I am sure that the shock of this tragedy will not just be felt in Leigham but across the whole of our city and I know that everyone will stand with me when I say that all our thoughts are with her family and friends at this devastating time.”

He said to remember Ms McLeod, and show her friends and family that the city mourns with them, Smeaton’s Tower will on Wednesday evening be lit purple, the national colour used when shining a light on abuse and violence towards women.

Jaden Bauer, 19, said he and his family, who lived on the same street as Ms McLeod, were “devastated” to hear the news.

He said: “Bobbi was such a sweet individual, she shone bright amongst the rest and to hear she is no longer with us is truly heart breaking.

“I am truly horrified to hear somebody I know, somebody so sweet and kind be taken from us.”