Arrests after body found and police probe if pair ‘taken against their will’

The man’s body was discovered near the Oakwood Hill Industrial Estate in Essex at around 11.55am on Saturday.

A man’s body was discovered in woodland in Loughton on Saturday morning (Kirsty O’Connor/PA) (PA Wire)

Three arrests have been made after the discovery of a man’s body in woodland in Essex as police investigate whether two people were taken against their will.

The body is believed to be that of a man in his 40s who had gone missing from an address in north London, alongside a woman in her 30s who has since been found physically unharmed.

The pair were known to each other, the Metropolitan Police said.

The force described their investigation as a “very complex and fast-moving” one but that a “key line of enquiry is that the man and woman were taken against their will in a vehicle” on Thursday.

The man’s body was discovered in woodland near the Oakwood Hill Industrial Estate in Loughton at around 11.55am on Saturday.

Officers were called on Friday afternoon to reports that the man and woman were missing from an address in Ebony Crescent, between Barnet and Enfield, having last been seen the night before.

As they worked to find the pair, the discovery of the body was reported to Essex Police.

A key line of enquiry is that the man and woman were taken against their will in a vehicle on Thursday night

Detective Chief Inspector Kate Kieran

The force, who were initially investigating, confirmed on Sunday that Scotland Yard has taken over the probe as the man is believed to have died within the area for which the Met is responsible.

A post-mortem examination and formal identification of the body will take place in due course, the Met said.

Three men were arrested in the Kent area on suspicion of murder and remain in police custody.

Officers have urged people who were in the Ebony Crescent area on Thursday to contact police if they recall seeing something suspicious, with residents asked to check doorbell cameras, and motorists asked to look at dashcam footage.

Detective Chief Inspector Kate Kieran said her team is “working 24/7 to establish exactly what has happened”.

She said: “This is a very complex and fast-moving investigation involving multiple units across the MPS, as well as invaluable support from our colleagues in Essex Police.

“While the investigation remains at an early stage, a key line of enquiry is that the man and woman were taken against their will in a vehicle on Thursday night.”

She said a police presence would remain in the Oakwood Hill Industrial Estate area for the coming days, and assured residents in Enfield and Essex that officers are “doing absolutely everything we can to understand the chain of events here, and bring to justice those responsible”.

Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby, from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: “The Met Police will now take the lead on this investigation but we will continue to support them.

“Road closures will remain in the area while investigations at the scene continue.”