Family of midwife ‘thank the public’

The family of midwife Samantha Eastwood have thanked the public for their support after police found a body.

A body, believed to be that of the missing 28-year-old, was discovered by officers near Caverswall on Saturday, Staffordshire Police said.

A 32-year-old man, who had previously been released on bail, was rearrested on suspicion of murder.

Two other men, aged 28 and 60, have been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, the force said.

The trio of men remain in custody.

In a statement released by Staffordshire Police, Ms Eastwood’s family said: “The family of Samantha would like to ask that their privacy is respected at this terrible time.

“We would like to say ‘thank-you’ to all the people who followed Samantha’s story and tried their best to help.”

The midwife was last seen in uniform leaving work at Royal Stoke Hospital at 7:45am eight days earlier on Friday 27 July.

The body has now been removed and a post-mortem examination was due to take place yesterday.

The scene in Caverswall will remain cordoned off while forensic examinations continue.