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Missing girl Jayden Parkinson feared murdered after body found in grave in Didcot in Oxfordshire used to live in Tennyson Place in Folkestone
11:50, 19 December 2013
The family of a missing teenager whose body is believed to have been found in a grave used to live in Folkestone, it has emerged today.
Jayden Parkinson lived at a house in Tennyson Place in the town before moving away several years ago.
The 17-year-old's heartbroken family still have friends in the neighbourhood, with whom they have been in regular contact since her disappearance.
Police today said they believe a body found in a recently disturbed grave at a cemetery in Oxfordshire is that of Jayden.
Officers made the discovery at a cemetery in Didcot last night after receiving "significant and highly relevant information" that led their search efforts to a specific grave in the churchyard.
"We had prepared Jayden's family for the worst, but I'm afraid nothing can prepare you for the loss of your child..." - police chief Andy Murray
Jayden was last seen alive more than two weeks ago when she left the town's railway station on December 3.
Her former boyfriend - 22-year-old Ben Blakeley, from Reading - has appeared at Oxford Crown Court charged with her murder and perverting the course of justice.
Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Murray, from Thames Valley Police, said Jayden's family are "heartbroken' and "devastated".
He said at a news conference this morning: "We had prepared Jayden's family for the worst, but I'm afraid nothing can prepare you for the loss of your child.
"They remain heartbroken, they remain devastated, and our thoughts are with them at this time."