Murder arrests after disappearance of Julia Rawson
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder following the disappearance of a woman in the Black Country.
Julia Rawson, aged 42, has been missing from her home in Dudley since May 12.
A major investigation has got under way with police divers searching a stretch of canal behind homes in Tipton.
West Midlands Police said investigations have led detectives to believe that she has died.
A body has yet to be found but forensic teams have been conducting searches of the banks of the Birmingham canal, off Mission Drive, in Dudley Port, in recent days.
They have also been searching a property in the cul-de-sac as the investigation gathered pace.
A 29-year-old man was arrested in the Dudley area last Wednesday.
He was initially held on suspicion of kidnap, and then on suspicion of murder.
Officers have been granted a number of extensions to question him.
A second man, aged 23, was arrested on Friday in Dudley on suspicion of assisting an offender and then later rearrested on suspicion of murder.
Officers have been given an extension by magistrates to question him further.
A force spokesman said Julia Rawson’s family have been kept informed of the latest developments.
Anyone with information on Julia’s disappearance has been asked to contact police by calling 101 and quoting log 1630 of 13 May.
Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
