October 07, 2005
Timesonline
By Simon Freeman
A man was arrested today after body parts were found in Hampshire woodland five miles from the home of a Finnish woman who went missing three weeks ago.
Kirsi Gifford-Hull, 38, a mother of two, disappeared from the family's £500,000 home in Winchester in the early hours of September 17.
Her husband Mike told police that he had left his wife - who was using crutches after a knee operation - asleep on the sofa after a row about their marriage. When he awoke the following morning, he said, she had vanished.
Detectives launched a major hunt, contacting with her parents in Finland, and scouring surrounding fields with dogs, search teams and helicopters.
A dog-walker found the remains in Micheldever Woods, off the A33 and five miles from the couple's home, at 4.30pm yesterday. The scene was cordoned off today as officers carried out forensic inquiries.
Hampshire Police today said that they were unable to confirm the identity of the body. The remains were badly decayed and there was some question as the whether they were human.
A 42-year-old man has been arrested by police in connection with the discovery.
Last week, Mr Gifford-Hull, 42, wept during a press conference and he begged the mother of his two children to get in touch: "There are two small children who are desperate for their mother to come back."
He said that he had had an argument with his wife that night but it was "completely out of character" for her to disappear.
Although she was unable to drive, he said that he had waited until late in the evening before contacting police, thinking she may have gone shopping.
He read out a statement from his 12-year-old daughter says: ‘Äiti, rakastan sua maaiman eniten yhtä paljon, kohta nähdään.’ - which means "Mummy, I love you the world’s most and just the same, see you soon."
A spokeswoman for Hampshire Police confirmed that a man had been arrested in connection with the dicovery of the remains.
