By Luke Salkeld, Arthur Martin and Ryan Kisiel
Last updated at 1:58 AM on 5th January 2011
- Police fear Jo may have tipped-off her killer that she'd be home alone
- Architect was excited about spending weekend cooking and shopping
- Grieving mother: 'It is so quiet without Jo here'
- Forensic team brings in specialist equipment to examine Jo's flat
- New picture of Jo as schoolgirl; friend said 'she was always in good spirits'
- Detectives launch national Facebook campaign to find killer
Jo Yeates's killer may have targeted her after learning she had told friends and colleagues she would be alone in her new flat for the first time.
It emerged yesterday that the 25-year-old had innocently revealed her boyfriend would be away for the weekend and that she planned to relax, cook and shop.
Detectives are now trying to identify exactly who knew of her plans and have analysed the emails, text messages and conversations of her friends.
Proud: An 11-year-old Jo, circled, holds a trophy during a sports day at Sherborne House School, Hampshire. Emma Streatfield, pictured standing next to cricket star David Gower, said Jo 'was always in good spirits'
They want to establish whether anyone could have overheard the potentially key information.
Last night there were unconfirmed reports that a Cracker-style criminal profiler has been brought in to help with the investigation.
Police admit they do not know when or where Miss Yeates was murdered and have not ruled out multiple killers.
When her boyfriend Greg Reardon drove to Sheffield on December 17 it was the first time Miss Yeates was left alone at their flat in the affluent Bristol district of Clifton.
Neighbours: Greg Reardon and Jo Yeates only moved into their flat in October. It's been revealed that after a hectic few weeks, Jo was looking forward to being in the flat alone for the first time so she could bake mince pies and finish her Christmas shopping. Meanwhile, the whereabouts of landlord Chris Jefferies is not known
She had post-work drinks that Friday evening, walked home and was not seen again until her body was found on Christmas Day.
One of the landscape architect's friends, who asked not to be named, told the Daily Mail yesterday: 'Jo was really looking forward to having the weekend to herself.
INVESTIGATION BY NUMBERS
1,300 pieces of information received
900 lines of inquiry pursued
293 tonnes of rubbish trawled through
100 hours of CCTV footage viewed
70 police officers hunting for killer
One man arrested - and bailed
'They had only moved in a few weeks before in October and it had been very hectic with Christmas coming up.
'Jo was talking about baking mince pies and finishing her shopping. They'd been out almost every night before at parties and drinks, so she was probably looking forward to having a rest as well. She had always walked alone and felt safe because it was Clifton – there were never any concerns at all about her safety as far as I know.
'Anyone who had an email, text or contact with her in the week before she vanished has been interviewed. The police wanted to know who she had told about being alone and who that was then told to.'
Mr Reardon, 27, did not raise the alarm until the early hours on Monday, December 20, because her lack of a response to his texts and calls was not untypical.
Yesterday police continued their prolonged forensic search of a flat owned by her neighbour and landlord Chris Jefferies.
The 65-year-old's whereabouts are not known, but he is believed to be staying locally.
A close friend said the retired English teacher was hiring a leading London barrister and wanted huge damages from the police for wrongful arrest.
'He is being protected by his friends but he is absolutely livid,' the friend said.
'His life here in Bristol is over. He can never walk the streets of Clifton with his head held high again.
'We are convinced he is innocent. What he now needs is peace and quiet. It's been a terribly distressing experience.'
Detailed search: Police forensic officers in breathing apparatus yesterday examined Jo's home using specialist chemical equipment, left, while more items were removed for investigation
Search: A police officer guarding the block of flats in Clifton, Bristol, where Jo lived below her landlord Chris Jefferies liaises with the forensics team
Investigation: A forensic officer enters the flat where Jo lived with her boyfriend Greg
'I'm still expecting my girl to come home'
The grieving mother of Jo Yeates says she still expects every day for her only daughter to walk through the front door.
Teresa Yeates wept yesterday telling how the family home has fallen silent without the sound of the 25-year-old's voice and laughter.
'It is just so quiet without her,' said Mrs Yeates, 58. 'She just had this joy and vibrancy, even though she didn't live here. I am sat in the kitchen just wanting her to come through the door.'
Grief-stricken: 'I wish she would just walk through the door': Jo's mother Teresa Yeates with husband David are struggling to come to terms with their daughter's loss
Police call on Facebook
Police have placed an advert on Facebook in the hope of obtaining leads in the hunt for the killer of Jo Yeates.
Avon and Somerset officers believe it is more cost effective than poster campaigns and leaflet distribution and can reach a much wider audience.
'The majority of people these days are spending time on Facebook and other social networking sites. This has become part of everyday routine for many people,' said Detective Chief Inspector Phil Jones.
'This advert allows us to point people to special features on our website with all the latest information.'
He added: 'This advert allows us to point people to special features on our website with all the latest information, it allows them to contact the incident room direct online rather than calling in.
'I would once again urge anyone who may have not contacted my team and may have information that could help this inquiry to contact us. Let us decide if this information is significant.'
The police force has received more than 1,300 pieces of information and a total of 70 police officers are working on the case.
But they have yet to find the packaging of a pizza Miss Yeates bought on the night she died or the driver of a 4x4 which was seen close to the lane where her body was found on Christmas morning.
Police have still not ruled out a sexual motive or the possibility that Miss Yeates's killer may have had an accomplice.
Her mother spoke as a picture emerged of an 11-year-old Miss Yeates clutching a trophy at a school sports day next to cricket legend David Gower.
She excelled at sport at Sherborne House, a prep school, before going on to Embley Park, an independent school near the family home in Romsey, Hampshire.
Emma Streatfield, 25 and a former classmate, said: 'Jo was always in good spirits and could always make you laugh.'
Miss Streatfield is seen next to Gower in the photo, which was taken in 1996 – their last year at Sherborne House in Chandler's Ford, Hampshire.
She said: 'We were just 11 and didn't have a care in the world when my mum took the picture.
'We were all about to go our separate ways. Looking at the photograph, it is hard to believe that she is gone.'
Miss Streatfield, who is a reporter in Southampton, said she did not keep in touch with Miss Yeates after prep school but had helped spread the message of her disappearance on December 17.
'The sentiment among her old friends is utter disbelief – that this has actually happened to someone they knew,' Miss Streatfield added.
'Sherborne was a small school with only 26 pupils at most in the year. It was very much a family atmosphere there where everybody knew everybody.'
At Embley Park, which takes boarders and was once the home of Florence Nightingale, contemporaries recalled Miss Yeates as a charming day school girl who played in the hockey team.
She left Embley Park, which is now Hampshire Collegiate, to study for her A-levels at Peter Symonds College in Winchester, and then went to Writtle College, part of Essex University, for her landscape architecture degree.
Poster: A police appeal board was still at the scene where Jo's body was found yesterday. Police still don't know where Jo was killed
Search: Police continue to examine the home of Jo's landlord Chris Jefferies yesterday. He's is thought to be staying locally with friends and is said to be seeking a top London barrister to sue the police for wrongful arrest
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