Reports of murderer's secret lair discovered in Ramsbury not supported by evidence say police

Searches of the area near Hilldrop Lane, which started on May 14, came to an end on Saturday, and the police cordon to the lane has now been lifted.
It followed the discovery of a pair of boots, believed to have belonged to 2011 murder victim Sian O’Callaghan, and a single barrelled shotgun in a pond in the village.
In the following days, fingertip searches by police, including with the use of cadaver dogs trained in tracing human remains, were carried out, and the pond was drained to allow specialist teams to search its bed.
A pile of material said to consist of around 60 pieces, some of which are believed to be women’s clothing, were found buried around 100 yards from the site and a chunky knit cardigan was also found close to the pond.
All items have been sent for forensic examination. Police have said they are confident that the pieces of clothing and the cardigan did not belong to Miss O’Callaghan, who was last seen leaving Suju nightclub in Swindon on Saturday, March 19, 2011.
Her body was found five days later near the Uffington White Horse.
In October 2012, Halliwell, a Swindon taxi driver who at the time of Miss O’Callaghan’s death lived in Ashbury Avenue, pleaded guilty to her murder.
He was not tried for a second murder after leading police to 20-year-old Becky Godden’s buried body as he was not cautioned by investigating officer Det Supt Steve Fulcher before he led police to the body in Gloucestershire.
Coverage of the searches in the national press this week described how Wiltshire Police considered the site surrounding the Hilldrop Lane pond to be Halliwell’s “secret lair”.
It followed a quote attributed to a “CID source” that police were searching for evidence to link Halliwell to the murders of a number of other women.
A spokesperson for Wiltshire Police, who asked not to be named, said of the national reports: “We are disappointed that this article has been printed. Although a ‘CID’ source has been quoted, the comments made by this individual are highly speculative and unhelpful to our investigations.
“Wiltshire police have made no links to the missing women mentioned or any other cases at this stage.
“Detectives are in the early stages of the review and any forensic testing. Speculation such as this is unhelpful and can be potentially distressing for families who may have lost their loved ones.
“Wiltshire Police are committed to ensuring a thorough investigation and will maximise any evidential opportunities that are found. However, at this stage it is too early to make links to missing women or to speculate on why the items were found there.”