A 40-year-old man has been rearrested on suspicion of murder after a “significant development” in the case of a woman who disappeared 10 years ago.
Claire Holland, 32, was last seen leaving Seamus O’Donnell’s, a pub in Bristol, at 11.15pm on 6 June 2012 – the day after the Queen’s diamond jubilee weekend.
Holland, a mother of four from Lawrence Weston in north-west Bristol, was reported missing a few days later. Despite several searches and appeals for information, she has not been seen or heard from since.
Avon and Somerset police said on Tuesday that they had rearrested a key suspect on suspicion of murder.
The man was previously arrested in March and was also held in 2019. He is in police custody.
Investigators are searching a pub in Clifton, Bristol, after they received “specific new information”.
DS Darren Hannant said: “Today’s operational activity marks a significant development in our investigation into Claire’s disappearance, which we continue to treat as suspicious.
“We’ve entered a new phase in our inquiries and from today we’ll be carrying out a forensic-led search of a public house in Gordon Road, Clifton, due to specific new information we’ve received.
“It’s important to reiterate this search activity has no connection with the current or previous owners of the venue.”
In November last year, police said new searches had failed to uncover anything significant. At the time, Hannant said police had reason to believe her disappearance was linked to a crime.
Her sister Sarah Holland previously said her children need answers about what happened to their mother.
The family are being kept fully informed and receiving police help and support.
A fresh appeal has been issued for anyone with information to contact police either via the major incident public reporting site, clicking on the Avon and Somerset page, by dialling 101, quoting reference number 5219172645, or anonymously through the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
