Two charged after child's body found in UK

Two people were tonight charged over the disappearance of a five-year-old girl after a child’s body was discovered in a canal.

Police divers searching for Danielle Reid recovered the body from a waterway in Inverness earlier today.

Formal identification is due to be carried out tomorrow when results of a post-mortem examination are expected to be known.

Police were treating the discovery of the child’s body in the city’s Muirtown Basin as a suspicious death.

Danielle was reported missing from her home in Argyle Street, Inverness just before midnight on December 31.

A 22-year-old man and a woman, 24, were tonight charged in connection with the girl’s disappearance.

They are expected to appear at Inverness Sheriff Court tomorrow.

A second man, 25, was detained and is helping police inquiries.

About 40 police officers are working on the investigation.

Northern Constabulary said initial information received on December 31 suggested the child had been with an adult in the north of England.

Police said the two people had been charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice.

At a press conference at Northern Constabulary’s headquarters in Inverness, senior officers confirmed a body had been found but stressed formal identification was expected tomorrow.

Chief Superintendent Garry Sutherland, the force’s head of operations, said: “Sadly I have to advise you that late this afternoon, police divers from Grampian Police working in the Muirtown Basin recovered the remains of a small child.

“A post-mortem is currently taking place at Raigmore Hospital.

“We are not in a position to confirm the identity of this child, however we hope to have formal identification carried out tomorrow.”