A 66-year-old Brighton woman has been arrested in suspicion of murder in the case of missing Portslade father Gary Hampson.
She was taken to the cells in Hollingbury this morning while Sussex Police carried out a search and forensic examination of her home.
Sussex Police said that the search for Mr Hampson’s body had been extended to the area north of Cowfold and was concentrated along the A281 corridor to the Sussex and Surrey border.
Specialist search officers are working in this area today and will continue to do so into next week.
Mr Hampson, 42, disappeared in January after dropping his daughter home from primary school.
What started as a missing person inquiry became a murder investigation after a significant amount of Mr Hampson’s blood was found at the garage he ran in Little Western Street, Brighton.
Two men from Brighton are currently in custody in relation to the murder of Mr Hampson and a third Brighton man is on police bail until next Wednesday (25 May).
Detective Chief Inspector Jeff Riley, who is heading the Major Crime Branch inquiry, said: “This is a very active investigation and my team and I are pursuing a number of lines of inquiry.
“We are determined to find Gary’s body and the process of searching has to be carefully planned and a scientific approach taken to ensure that the most likely locations are properly identified and then are subject to a detailed and methodical search.”
He urged anyone with information to contact Sussex Police on 0845 6070999 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
