Missing teenager found ‘brutally’ slain
A STUDENT with dreams of becoming a doctor died of multiple neck wounds after a “brutal attack” at a beauty spot, police have revealed, adding that the killing could have had a sexual motive.
Sixth-former Ellen Higginbottom, 18, was found dead on the edge of a field in Wigan early on Saturday.
Last night police arrested a 47-yearold man from the Billinge area of Wigan on suspicion of murdering her.
The student had been reported missing by her family at 7.20pm on Friday, when she failed to return from college, something “extremely out of character”. Friends of the keen singer and horse rider said she had last been seen near Orrell Water Park. Greater Manchester Police searching the area found a body about 2.30am on Saturday.
The post-mortem examination gave the teenager’s cause of death as multiple wounds to the neck. Detectives confirmed they were not ruling out a sexual motive for the attack.
Last night, specially trained family liaison officers were supporting Ellen’s family. Her father, Mike, an IT expert, told a newspaper his daughter had dreamed of becoming a doctor.
Ellen had last been seen leaving Winstanley College in Wigan at 1pm. Her friends subsequently launched an appeal on Twitter and Facebook to try to find her.
Det Supt Howard Millington, from GMP’S Major Incident Team, said: “This is an absolute tragedy; my thoughts are with Ellen’s family and friends. What they must be going through is unimaginable. We are also working with Wigan Council and Winstanley College, where Ellen was a pupil, to ensure support is in place for anyone affected by this incident.
“The post-mortem has now taken place and we have a clearer picture of what may have happened to Ellen, but we are still piecing together her exact movements [prior] to her death.” He added that police were looking into reports that two young women had been followed in the area earlier in the week. The detective urged everyone who had been in the area of the popular beauty spot to get in touch.
He said: “We have dedicated significant resources to this inquiry. We will be leaving no stone unturned.
“I would urge members of the public to ring if they have any information. This is a big scene, but of particular interest is the location where the young lady was found, on the edge of a field.
“I cannot rule out a sexual motivation... We are keeping an open mind.”