Suspect in architect’s murder freed without charge

LONDON - The landlord of slain landscape architect Joanna Yeates, held for two days on suspicion of murder, was released without charge on police bail on Saturday.

By (Reuters)

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Published: Sun 2 Jan 2011, 10:41 AM

Last updated: Thu 13 Feb 2020, 1:32 PM

“A 65-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of murder has been released on police bail,” Avon and Somerset police said in a statement on their website.
The man has been widely identified in the media as Christopher Jefferies, Yeates’s landlord who lived in the same building in the Clifton area of Bristol.
Magistrates had granted police more time on Friday to question Jefferies, a former English teacher.
Detective Chief Inspector Phil Jones, who is leading the investigation, said he wanted to reassure the public that the inquiry was “very much ongoing”.
“We have a team of over 70 police officers and staff working tirelessly to bring the person responsible for Joanna’s death to justice,” he said.
He repeated his call to the public to come forward with any information that might help the investigation.
Earlier, Yeates’s family paid tribute to her, saying she had been stolen from them but they were certain her killer would be caught.
Police family liaison officer Emma Davies, speaking against the backdrop of Bristol harbour, one of Yeates’s favourite spots, read out separate statements on behalf of Yeates’s family and boyfriend, Greg Reardon, 27.
“Her life was stolen from her and she was stolen from us,” the statement by Yeates’s parents David and Theresa and brother Chris said.
“We are certain that Jo’s killer will be caught,” they said.
In his statement, Reardon said “the memory of Jo will always be with me as I look across the harbour and remember our unforgettable and special times together.”
“She had a great career ahead of her as a landscape architect and would have achieved a great many more things in her life if she was only given the chance. I will always love her,” he said.
In a longer statement published on the police website, Reardon criticised media coverage of the investigation, saying: “Jo’s life was cut short tragically but the finger-pointing and character assassination by social and news media of as-yet innocent men has been shameful.”
Yeates, 25, went missing from her flat in Canynge Road on Dec. 17 after buying a pizza and two bottles of cider on her way home from a city pub.
Reardon reported her disappearance to police on Dec. 19, after returning home following a weekend away.
Her body was found covered in snow by the side of a country lane around 2 miles from her home on Christmas Day, 11 days after she disappeared. She had been strangled.


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