Man held over ‘kidnap’ of girl who vanished after 18th party
A TEENAGER who went missing after her birthday party was found yesterday as a man was held on suspicion of making threats to kill and false imprisonment.
Marnie Clayton was last seen laughing and hugging friends while celebrating her 18th birthday at a nightclub before she disappeared in the early hours of Sunday morning.
She had been reported missing by her worried family at 3am when she did not return from the atik nightclub in Windsor, Berkshire.
Police said last night that Miss Clayton had been found safe and well in Basingstoke, Hampshire, more than 30 miles away following a fast-moving investigation.
Her grandfather, Michael McGrath, claimed she had met a man she knew while in the nightclub, sparking fears she may have been snatched.
a witness claimed to have seen
Miss Clayton, from Bracknell, Berkshire, ‘arguing with a man’ on the night she vanished.
Photographs released by police showed the 5ft 2in teenager, who was about to start a job as a carer, in the hours before her disappearance wearing a grey dress and posing for a selfie in a lift.
Mr McGrath, 70, said: ‘This was way out of character for her. She is always so close to her family.’
Last night, he said he was ‘very relieved’ that she’d been found.
Police confirmed a 21-year-old man had been arrested in Basingstoke in connection with Miss Clayton’s disappearance.
Officers said he was in breach of police bail at the time of the incident, although it is not known for what offence. He is being held in custody on suspicion of battery, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, breach of police bail, false imprisonment and making threats to kill.
Superintendent Michael Greenwood, Local Policing area Commander for Windsor and Maidenhead, said: ‘I am delighted to be able to confirm that we have located Marnie safe and well and returned her home to her family, who were naturally extremely concerned for her. This outcome is the result of fantastic work by officers.
‘Working on information received from some of the hundreds of calls since Marnie was reported missing, we have managed to locate her.
‘I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the many thousands of members of the public who shared our appeal to locate her and extend this to the local and national media.’
‘It cannot be overestimated how important the information received was in locating Marnie.’
‘Located safe and well’