A 40-year-old man has been re-arrested on suspicion of murder following 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 June 6, 2012, the day after the Diamond Jubilee weekend of queen
Mother-of-four Holland from Lawrence Weston, north-west Bristol, went missing a few days later. Despite several searches and requests for information, he has not been seen or heard from since.
Avon and Somerset Police said on Tuesday they had re-arrested a key suspect on suspicion of murder.
Claire Holland’s sister said her children need answers about what happened. Photograph: Avon and Somerset police/PA Media
The man was previously arrested in March and was also arrested in 2019. He is in police custody.
Investigators are searching a pub in Clifton, Bristol, after receiving “specific new information”.
DS Darren Hannant said: “Today’s operational activity marks an important development in our investigation into Claire’s disappearance, which we continue to treat as suspicious.
“We have entered a new phase in our inquiries and from today we will be carrying out a targeted forensic search of a public house in Gordon Road, Clifton, due to specific new information we have received.
“It is important to reiterate that this search activity has no connection to the current or previous owners of the premises.”
In November last year, police said further searches had failed to uncover anything significant. At the time, Hannant said police had reason to believe her disappearance was crime-related.
Her sister Sarah Holland previously said her children need answers about what happened to their mother.
The family are being kept fully informed and are receiving police help and support.
A further appeal has been issued for anyone with information to contact police, either through the major incident public reporting site, by clicking on the Avon and Somerset page, dialing the 101, quoting reference number 5219172645, or anonymously through the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.