Amber is found hanged less than a mile from her home
But why did it take the police so long to find 13-year-old runaway?
MISSING schoolgirl Amber Peat was found hanged in a hedgerow near her home, police said last night.
More than 400 officers had been involved in the hunt for the 13year- old who disappeared from her family’s council house on Saturday after a minor row.
But last night questions were being raised over why it took them so long to find Amber’s body in the middle of a housing estate, less than a mile from her home. Residents said officers had first searched the area on Sunday.
Police said Amber’s body was out of sight and would not have been apparent to anyone in the area.
The bookish teenager, who was 4ft tall, had a minor row with her mother and stepfather over cleaning a cool box after a family holiday in Cornwall. She left their three-bedroom house in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, without her mobile phone or any money.
Her parents made an emotional appeal for her return, but on Tuesday night police announced they had found a body in a nearby hedgerow.
They confirmed yesterday the body was Amber’s and that the cause of death was hanging. Superintendent Matthew McFarlane said: ‘Sadly this was not the outcome any of us were hoping for.’ Amber’s death is not being treated as suspicious.
Last night, her mother Kelly
‘We will always miss her’
and stepfather Danny Peat said: ‘We will always remember Amber for her love of singing and dancing.
‘She was never happier than when reading to her younger sisters and being surrounded by her family.
‘We will always be grateful for our last family holiday with our beautiful daughter. We will always miss her.’
There were suggestions yesterday that she had been bullied at school, but the academy she attended denied this was a factor.
Members of the community asked last night how the Amber’s body, found in a hedgerow next to a public grass verge and two busy roads, was missed during the initial search of the area.
Danielle Blount, 19, who helped organise the community search, claims she invited police to join the effort on Monday night but no one came.
‘I think if the police had got involved earlier they would have found her alive,’ she added. ‘As soon as the media were here, they got involved. People have said that they will never trust the police with anything again.’
She also revealed that on Monday residents had scoured the area where Amber was eventually found, to no avail.
Builder Gavin Taylor, 33, who owns the land where Amber’s body was found, said the hedgerow is five or six feet deep, adding: ‘The police were searching this area on Sunday. How did they not notice it? It’s not like she’s in the middle of nowhere, but I can’t criticise them – they did their job.
‘People walk their dogs there all the time and cut across on their way to the bus stop. It seems mad that no one saw anything. We’re shocked – this is too close to home.’
Mike Smith, principal at Queen Elizabeth’s Academy in Mansfield, said everyone at the school was ‘deeply shocked and saddened’ to hear of Amber’s death.
She was ‘ academically bright’, was in the choir and loved singing and dancing. ‘Amber has been happy at the academy,’ Mr Smith added.
‘This is a close-knit, community academy and everybody is supporting each other at this difficult time.’
Floral tributes were laid at the scene yesterday. One message from Amber’s classmates said: ‘I hope your parents find the strength to find peace.’
There were plans to hold a candlelit vigil last night in memory of the teenager.
Police thanked the hundreds of community volunteers who helped in the search. More than 400 officers and police staff, including some from other forces, were involved.