On 16 August, twelve days after the children's disappearance, Huntley and Carr were first questioned by police. Both were questioned for approximately seven hours. Each provided witness statements before being placed in a safe house in the village of Histon. [97] By this date, police had received information from several Grimsby residents who had recognised Huntley in the television interviews he had given, and recalled that he had been accused of rape several years earlier. Others said that, contrary to her televised claims, Carr had been socialising in Grimsby town centre on the night of the girls' disappearance, and was not at home in Soham as she had claimed to the media. [98] Soham Village College. Police discovered charred remnants of the children's clothes here on 16 August. [99] One person who claimed to have spoken with the girls immediately before their disappearance was 28-year-old Huntley, who informed investigators on 5 August he had had a brief conversation with both girls on his doorstep the previous afternoon. [50] [n 4] According to Huntley, Wells and Chapman—both "happy as Larry" [52]—had briefly enquired as to whether his partner, Carr, had been successful in a recent application for a full-time teaching assistant position at their school. [53] When he had replied Carr had not got the job, one of the girls had said, "Tell her we're sorry" before they both walked along College Street towards a bridge leading towards Clay Street. [54] By the time Capp had obtained employment at Bluecrest, she had garnered sufficient courage to begin dating men, but none of these relationships lasted more than a few months. [193] Shy and reserved and prone to wear clothing which concealed her figure when sober, Capp became markedly flirtatious when having consumed alcohol, and is known to have occasionally engaged in exhibitionism in addition to frequently engaging in one-night stands with people she encountered in pubs and clubs. [191] [3] [n 14]

Police were suspicious of Huntley's account. A single police officer searched his house on 5 August; no incriminating evidence was discovered, but the officer noticed items of clothing on the washing line despite the fact it had been raining. In reference to the evident extensive cleaning of the house's interior, Huntley said: "Excuse the dining room. We had a flood." [55] [n 5] This officer was unconvinced by Huntley's claims and suspicious of his agitated demeanour; Huntley remained a strong suspect. [57] Prior to murdering Wells and Chapman, Huntley had established an extensive record of consensual and unconsensual sexual activity with females—many of whom had been under the age of consent. He would typically use guile or force to achieve his desires. Between 1992 and 2002, he had committed many acts of physical and sexual violence against women and children for which he had been unpunished. [179] The youngest girl Huntley is known to have raped was 12 years old, with another girl he had attempted to rape being 11. [180] [n 13] At 8:00p.m., Nicola Wells entered her daughter's bedroom to invite the girls to say goodbye to her guests, only to discover both children missing. Alarmed, she and her husband, Kevin, searched the house and nearby streets. Minutes after their daughter's 8:30p.m. curfew had expired, Nicola Wells phoned the Chapmans to ask if the girls were there, only to learn Leslie and Sharon Chapman were worried that their youngest daughter had not returned home. [19] Following frantic efforts by the families to locate their daughters, Wells and Chapman were reported missing by their parents at 9:55p.m. [20] Search and discovery [ edit ]Although Mr Huntley made clear attempts to appear insane, I have no doubt that the man currently, and at the time of the murders, was both physically and mentally sound and therefore, if he is found guilty, carried out the murders totally aware of his actions.

O'Neill, Sean (13 November 2003). "A Long Night Waiting For News That Never Came". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 14 November 2019. You Pushed Her,' Jessica Screamed, then Huntley Moved to Silence Her". The Telegraph. 26 November 2003. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 . Retrieved 26 January 2020. MBE for Vicar Who United Soham". The Daily Telegraph. 31 December 2002. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 . Retrieved 23 October 2019.Having discovered the children's clothes at Soham Village College, [82] police decided to arrest Huntley and Carr. Both were arrested on suspicion of abduction and murder at 4:30a.m. on 17 August. [105] Investigators had stated on 7 August they strongly believed the children had been abducted, [39] and announced their strong suspicions that both girls had been murdered on this date. [106] [107] a b c O'Neill, Sean; Sapsted, David (21 August 2002). "Caretaker Charged With Murder of Two Girls and Sent to Rampton". The Telegraph. Despite this, investigators rapidly deduced who the two victims most likely were, and that they had not died where their bodies had been discovered. [73] Numerous hairs later determined to belong to Chapman were discovered on a tree branch close to the location of the girls' bodies. [74] Maxine Carr Takes the Stand to Tell the Court Why She Stood by Huntley". The Irish Times. 4 December 2003 . Retrieved 14 November 2019.

In 2017, Weier pleaded guilty to being a party to attempted second-degree homicide. A jury then found her "not guilty by mental disease or defect". One of the two teenage girls who stabbed their 12-year-old friend because they were possessed by the fictional Slender Man character told her: 'Don't be afraid, I'm only a little kitty cat,' before abandoning her in the woods. EWHC 2083 (QB) Paragraph 16". Her Majesty's Courts Service. 29 September 2003. Archived from the original on 26 December 2009. Above all, we send our love and deepest sympathies to the girl’s family at this unimaginably distressing time.” June 8, 1984 – Melanie Road, 17, goes on a night out with her boyfriend and friends to Beau Nash nightclub in Bath, Somerset.At Night I Sometimes Just Lay There and Cry". The Scotsman. 18 December 2003 . Retrieved 27 October 2019.

Calculated Cover-up' by Huntley and Carr as Girls Lay Dead in Wood". The Telegraph. 7 November 2003 . Retrieved 25 October 2019.

Brother's torment

A further two part, 60-minute documentary, commissioned by Channel 5, Soham: The Murder of Holly & Jessica, was first broadcast on 9 & 10 March 2022. [247] a b c d e f g Stokes, Paul; Sapsted, David; Lightfoot, Liz (20 August 2002). "Rootless and Troubled Lives of Couple Suspected of Killing Holly and Jessica". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 1 November 2019. Huntley's precise motivation for voluntarily informing police of his encountering the children outside his home is unknown; it is speculated he chose to do so out of concerns eyewitnesses may have seen him engaging in conversation with the girls outside his home. [51] The senseless murder of a 15-year-old girl on her way to school is impossible to comprehend,” he said. “It was moving and humbling to meet many members of the exceptional Croydon community who have come together in support of a family now dealing with the most unimaginable grief.” The arrest came after an operation involving armed officers in the Merseyside area last night, Thursday 25 August. The man is currently in custody, where he is being questioned by detectives.”