Fred West: No remains found in cellar search for Mary Bastholm

27 May 2021, 10:33 | Updated: 27 May 2021, 16:12

Police said no remains were found in the excavation work
Police said no remains were found in the excavation work. Picture: PA

By Asher McShane

No human remains or further clues have been found by police searching under a Gloucester cafe for a missing girl who is feared to be a victim of serial killer Fred West.

Police said today that excavation work at the Clean Plate café had been completed and "we can confirm no human remains or items of significance to the investigation have been found."

Experts determined that some areas of the cellar had been undisturbed since prior to 1968, when Mary Bastholm disappeared aged 15.

READ MORE: 1,100 arrested in national crackdown on county lines drug gangs

READ MORE: France to impose new quarantine measures on UK visitors amid concern over Indian variant

The cellar of the Clean Plate cafe in Southgate Street, Gloucester
The cellar of the Clean Plate cafe in Southgate Street, Gloucester. Picture: PA

"Each area was carefully examined by the forensics team with support from officers from the Constabulary," Gloucestershire police said in a statement.

Police said they began looking at six "areas of interest" or "anomalies" in the cellar of the Clean Plate café in Gloucester on May 19 after they were identified by a team of forensic archaeologists ahead of excavation work.

No remains found in police dig for suspected victim of Fred West

The family of Mary Bastholm have been made aware of the update and are receiving ongoing support from trained officers.

Mary's family said in a statement: "We are still very sad that Mary has not been found. We were hoping to get a final closure on her disappearance so that we could put her to rest.

"We have been open minded throughout this process and we now know that the café can be ruled out. We can however hold out some hope that one day Mary will be found.

Police search cafe for body of missing teen feared killed by Fred West

"Mary was a strong willed and happy-go-lucky teenager, dearly loved by her parents and two brothers. She enjoyed life and was just coming into her own when her life was tragically cut short.

"Her parents and two brothers were never the same after she went missing.

"They have now sadly passed away without ever knowing what happened to their loving daughter and sister."

The café will be handed back to its owners once reparation work is completed, police added.

Earlier this month police said they had found 'six voids' in the cellar of the cafe.

Detectives had been examining if the cafe could be where serial killer Fred West buried 15-year-old Mary Bastholm, who went missing in 1968 and may have been one of his victims.

Police were called to the cafe on 7 May by a production company filming a documentary, which believed evidence of her remains had been found.

This included an image of blue material in one part of the cellar, with Mary having been reported as wearing a blue coat when she went missing.

Along with his wife Rose, who is serving a life sentence, West tortured, raped and murdered an unknown number of women over a 20-year-period.

He was charged with 12 murders but took his own life in a Birmingham jail before being put on trial. Rose was convicted of 10 murders in 1995.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Actress Kim Sae-ron attends 2017 Mnet Asian Music Awards at Asia World-Expo on December 1, 2017 in Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

South Korean ‘Bloodhounds’ and ‘The Man from Nowhere’ star Kim Sae-ron found dead at 24

Emergency services were called just after 7pm on Friday amid reports a woman had suffered serious injuries

'Screaming, shouting, crying': Landlady breaks silence after woman shot dead at village pub - as manhunt continues

Exclusive
Jonathan Reynolds told LBC’s Iain Dale that NATO is ‘a highly effective integrated defensive structure’, and that US requests for higher European spending on the alliance are ‘not unreasonable’.

Europe must ‘work closely’ with US to face Russia, Business Sec tells LBC ahead of emergency Ukraine summit

.T. Miller #10 of Team USA and Colton Parayko #55 of Team Canada fight during the first period in the 4 Nations Face-Off game at the Bell Centre on February 15, 2025

Gloves off: Three fights in first nine seconds as USA beat Canada to reach 4 Nations ice hockey final

Exclusive
Europe must boost defence spending if it wants peace, Ukraine's former PM has told LBC.

‘If you want peace, pay for it', says ex-Ukrainian PM as Starmer to 'overrule' Reeves and boost defence spending

Lucy Letby was ‘shocked and distressed’ during the investigation into the deaths of babies that she was later found guilty of murdering, and ‘deserves an Oscar’ if she was lying, her former boss said.

Lucy Letby was 'innocent', distressed and ‘deserves an Oscar if she was acting’ says former boss

Jockey Michael O'Sullivan at Ascot Racecourse. Picture date: Friday November 22, 2024.

Cheltenham-winning jockey Michael O'Sullivan dies aged just 24 after fall in race

Prime Minister Keir Starmer Meets With Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves At Downing Street

Starmer to 'overrule' Reeves and call for increased defence spending ahead of meeting with Donald Trump

images shared on social media show police arresting a man following the attack.

'Laughing' Syrian asylum seeker who stabbed boy, 14, to death was motivated by 'Islamic terrorism'

Axel Rudakubana has been jailed for 52 years.

FBI joins investigation into Southport killer amid claims he wiped internet search history

Heavy Rush In Trains For Last Amrit Snan On Prayagraj Kumbh

At least 15 dead in train station stampede in New Delhi

Pope Francis Attends The Weekly General Audience on Wednesday.

Pope Francis to miss Sunday prayer due to 'absolute rest' order after bronchitis diagnosis

Udoka Godwin-Malife

Burton Albion defender allegedly target of racist abuse by fan

Applegreen petrol station in New Town, Uckfield, Sussex.

Teenager dies after car overturned at Sussex petrol station

Starmer, Trump and Putin.

'Once in a generation moment': Starmer warns against NATO division ahead of emergency summit on Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and United States President Donald Trump (right).

US officials heading to Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Saudi Arabia