- Jessica Blake was last seen 24 hours ago riding her pink bicycle and carrying a paper bag
- Police investigating the discovery of a body are not treating it suspiciously at the moment
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A body found in woodland in Beverley, East Yorkshire, has been identified as that of missing Jessica Blake, police confirmed today
A body found in woodland has been identified as that of missing Jessica Blake, police confirmed today.
Officers in Beverley, East Yorkshire, said they are not treating the 14-year-old's death as suspicious.
A major search involving police and RAF helicopters and police divers was launched after the teenager was reported missing on Saturday.
Jessica was last seen riding her pink bike and carrying a yellow newspaper delivery bag the same afternoon.
A few hours later, her bicycle was discovered at sewage works near her home in Beverley, East Yorkshire.
Her body was discovered in a wooded area off Chester Avenue in the town just after 4pm yesterday, Humberside Police said.
A Humberside Police spokeswoman said: 'Our deepest sympathies go to the family and friends of Jessica.'
Detectives said her disappearance was 'out of character'.
They are currently unable to confirm whether she was on her round when she went missing, but the Beverley High School pupil was said to be 'in a distressed state of mind' when she left her home in the Swinemoor Estate.
Locals said that Jessica had been spotted buying a bag of sweets from a shop before she was seen venturing in the direction of the woods.
Police and fire services were seen at Chester Avenue in Beverley yesterday afternoon after the body was discovered
When her bicycle was found abandoned hours later, worried neighbours rallied around to search for her.
Welder Paul William, 43, said: 'News travels fast in Beverley so when we feared for a young girl we all got together.
'Several parties of around four to ten people got together to cover different areas.
'We were out from Saturday early evening until around 11pm when we just couldn't see any more.
'Everyone was involved, parents, kids, dogs. I'm proud of our community for that, though it is so sad it ended as it did.'
Yesterday police descended on woods near Jessica's home just before 4.10pm and found her body.
Jessica Blake, from the Swinemoor Estate in Beverley, East Yorkshire, was last seen cycling in Lincoln Way. Her body was found in a wooded area near Chester Avenue
A police spokesman said: 'Police have been made aware of a message being posted on social networking sites that a man has been arrested in connection with the discovery. Police can confirm that no arrests have been made.'
Thousands of people joined a Facebook group set up to help find Jessica but officers had asked members of the public not to conduct group searches.
Last night an ambulance was parked outside the Blake family's three-bedroom house and police were with Jessica's parents, who were too upset to speak.
The house is around a ten-minute bike ride from the spot where her body was discovered.
Why was she is a "distressed state of mind" when she left home? What caused this? How did she die? So many questions and such a sad ending. Tragic.
- Anna, UK, 27/8/2012 14:35
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