Police to dig for remains of missing student Elizabeth Chau after Levi Bellfield 'reveals her body's location to police'
12 May 2023, 05:59 | Updated: 12 May 2023, 16:31
Police are preparing to dig for the remains of missing student Elizabeth Chau after Levi Bellfield confessed to murdering her and revealed where he left her body in face-to-face talks with detectives.
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The serial killer told police he killed Ms Chau, who was 19 when she vanished 24 years ago, in an interview with police in prison.
He also told them about a location in West London where he hid her body.
A source told The Guardian that police are taking his claims "extremely seriously".
The Metropolitan Police said: "On Tuesday 9 May 2023, a 54-year-old male was interviewed under caution. Inquiries continue.
"We can confirm we remain in contact with Elizabeth Chau's family. At this time we will not be providing an ongoing commentary. We have no comment to make."
Officers spoke to Bellfield in HMP Frankland in Durham where he is serving a life sentence without parole.
It had emerged previously he was admitting to Ms Chau's killing, having made an admission in a written statement in March. Two detectives from the Met interviewed him on Tuesday.
They brought a map of West London and Bellfield pointed to where he says he left her body.
Read more: Serial killer Levi Bellfield 'confesses to murder' of student who disappeared 24 years ago
He told them how he kidnapped Ms Chau and gave awful details about her final hours.
They also asked him about other attacks on women in London and Surrey that he claims to have carried out.
Ms Chau, who was on a computer studies course at Thames Valley University, was last seen in Ealing, West London, in April 1999.
Her family are aware Bellfield can be manipulative but believe police moved too slowly to get to the truth of his confession. He first admitted the killing to a visitor to his prison in October 2022.
Bellfield killed Milly Dowler, 13, in Surrey in 2002. He also murdered Marsha McDonnell, 19, in west London, and took the life of Amelie Delagrange, 22, a French student, the year after.
He tried to murder Kate Sheedy, 18, in 2004.
It was claimed Bellfield previously admitted five other murders, as well as Ms Chau's, and among those is the Russell murders.
Lin Russell, 45, was tied up, blindfolded and beaten with a hammer along with daughters Josie, nine, and Megan, six.
Josie survived but suffered life-threatening head injuries, though she recovered.
Michael Stone was imprisoned for the hammer attack on Lin and Megan Russell in Chillenden, Kent, in 1996, though he said he hopes Bellfield's reported admission will see his conviction quashed.
