Police searching for missing Sarah Everard have discovered human remains in woodland in Ashford, Kent.

The 33-year-old went missing on Wednesday 3 March while walking back from a friend’s house in Clapham, south London to her home in Brixton.

A serving Metropolitan Police officer was arrested on Tuesday night on suspicion of kidnap and later of murder.

Met Commissioner Cressida Dick told a news briefing: “This evening detectives and search teams investigating Sarah’s disappearance have found, very sadly, what appears to be human remains in an area of woodland in Ashford in Kent.”

She said the arrest of one of her officers had “sent shockwaves and anger” and that the entire force is “utterly appalled at this dreadful news”.

“Sarah’s disappearance in these awful and wicked circumstances are, I know, every family’s worst nightmare,” she continued.

Investigators have not been able to confirm the victim’s identity and this “may take some considerable time”, she added, but specialist officers are assisting Ms Everard’s family.

Commissioner Dick sought to reassure the public that “it is incredibly rare for a woman to be abducted from our streets”, but that people, and particularly women, may be feeling understandably “worried and scared”.

She said there would be a greater police presence in both Kent and London, where searches have been going on “around the clock”.

“We are deeply grateful to all those many, many people who came forward with information that has assisted us,” she said after the Met received more than 120 calls and were able to search over 750 homes as part of the investigation.

“My thoughts tonight are with Sarah, her family and her loved ones,” she told the briefing at New Scotland Yard.

The arrested officer, who was not on duty at the time of Ms Everard’s disappearance, is also being held on a separate allegation of indecent exposure.

He was arrested at an address in Deal, Kent, more than 60 miles away from where Ms Everard was last seen.

A woman was taken into custody from the same address and is being held at a London police station on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Extensive searches have been carried out at the house, around Clapham and Brixton and the woodland in Ashford.

On 3 March, Ms Everard left a friend’s property in Leathwaite Road, Clapham, around 9pm.

The marketing executive then spoke to her partner on the phone for about 15 minutes, with the call ending at 9.28pm.

The last known sighting of her in Clapham was captured on a doorbell camera.

It showed her walking alone along the A205 Poynders Road from the junction at Cavendish Road, toward Tulse Hill, which lies south of Brixton, at about 9.30pm. She had not been seen or heard from since.

Earlier today, her uncle Nick Everard told Sky News the family was “distraught” and that things were “utterly dire”.

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