Parents certain killer will be caught

The family of murdered Joanna Yeates today expressed their grief over her death and said they were certain her killer would be brought to justice.

As detectives continued their investigation, the landscape architect’s grieving parents and brother said their lives stopped as soon as she went missing.

Miss Yeates’s snow-covered body was found by dog walkers in Failand, North Somerset, on Christmas Day.

The 25-year-old, who disappeared from her flat in the Clifton area of Bristol on December 17, had been strangled.

Her landlord, Chris Jefferies, 65, who was arrested on Thursday over the death, remained in custody tonight.

In an emotional statement read out by police beside Bristol harbour – one of Miss Yeates’s cherished spots – her parents and brother said: “From the moment that we received Greg’s phone call on Sunday December 19 until now, time has had no meaning.

“We had a bad feeling from that moment, which deepened when we arrived in Bristol.”

David Yeates, 63, his wife Theresa, 58, and their son Chris said Joanna had been “stolen” from them but they had found the police “most considerate” and had been kept informed of developments in the investigation.

“We continue to give them our full support and help where we can,” they said. “We are certain that Jo’s killer will be caught.

“Jo was taken from us. The method has only intensified our grief.”

Miss Yeates’s boyfriend, Greg Reardon, issued a similarly moving statement, declaring he would always love her.

But he also attacked the press coverage of the case, criticising the media’s “character assassination” of what he described as “as yet innocent men”.

Apparently referring to reports about the detained Mr Jefferies, he went on: “Jo’s life was cut short tragically but the finger-pointing and character assassination by social and news media of as yet innocent men has been shameful.”

Mr Jefferies, who lives above the Victorian flat Miss Yeates shared with Mr Reardon in Canynge Road, Clifton, was still in custody today after police were yesterday granted more time to question him.

In their statement, Miss Yeates’s family paid tribute to her, describing her as “a beautiful and talented young lady who was destined to fly high”.

They said: “We gain a little solace from the fact that the high point in Jo’s life was her graduation in November, when her life was ’perfect’.

“Our grief and sadness includes the experiences which she missed out on, in terms of family and children and rising through her profession.

“For us, we will always miss the presence which came with her: hearing her voice, her lightness, and standing back with pride, watching her grow through life.

“Our thoughts and emotions at this time are solely with Jo.”

And they declared themselves “overawed” by the amount of support and practical help they had had from people in Bristol, revealing that they had received many cards and letters of sympathy from well-wishers they had never even met.

Mr Reardon, 27, described his girlfriend as a “beautiful woman, beautiful in mind, body and soul”.

He said: “She had a great career ahead of her as a landscape architect and would have achieved a great many more things in her life if only she was given the chance.

“I will always love her.”

He also thanked those who had “dropped everything” to help campaign for his girlfriend to be found safe and well.

“Sadly this wasn’t the outcome we had all hoped for but we all, Jo’s dear friends and family, now celebrate the life of one of the most lovely and genuine people to grace this Earth,” he added.

Detective Constable Emma Davies, a family liaison officer with Avon and Somerset Police, read the statements beside the city’s harbour, which was a “special place” for the couple and was where Miss Yeates had rowed with the Bristol Gig Club.

She had also lived near the picturesque waterfront before she moved to Clifton.

Mr Reardon said: “The memory of Jo will always be with me as I look across the harbour and remember our unforgettable and special times together.”

Meanwhile, the forensic examination of Mr Jefferies’ flat continued, with two crime scene investigators entering it, carrying brown evidence bags.

Neighbour Peter Stanley, who yesterday drove his car from his flat accompanied by a plain clothes detective, returned home in the BMW.

Officers had been speaking to him in his home yesterday, but stressed he was a witness not a suspect.

Chief Constable Colin Port today described the past weeks as “a tremendously difficult period for Jo’s family”, adding: “Our hearts go out to them.”