Murdered schoolgirl's body found by family friend

The body of a murdered teenage girl was discovered by a family friend who was searching for her, Scottish police said today.

The 14-year-old girl, who has not been identified, had been reported missing from her home in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland last night at around 10.30pm.

Police said she had left home at around 5.30pm and had been due back at 10pm.

When she failed to return, it is understood her mother phoned round friends before contacting the police.

The girl’s body was found in a wooded area near a path behind Newbattle High School between 11pm and midnight by a family friend.

A Lothian and Borders Police spokesman said: “Her death was a result of violence and is being treated as murder.”

Police said the path, to the rear of the high school and close to Newbattle Road, was regularly used by dog walkers.

A forensic team was at the scene throughout the night.

The spokesman described the killing as “particularly violent”.

A police cordon remained in place this morning, closing off a section of the path and part of the school grounds where an incident van and four police vehicles were parked.

The school also stayed open as police teams continued to scour an adjoining field as part of their investigation.

Lothian and Borders police are appealing for anyone who used the path between 5pm and 10pm last night to contact them.

They said they would not be releasing the name of the dead girl until relatives had been informed.

But the girl was understood to be Jodi Jones, who was reported missing last night, and lived in the Easthouses area of Dalkeith.