A MAN has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Middlesbrough teenager Rachel Wilson 12 years ago.

The 55-year-old was arrested at an address in the town early this morning (Monday, June 30).

The development came just days after the man leading the hunt for prostitute’s killer said that a number of new leads could result in an arrest sooner rather than later.

Detective Inspector Andy Greenwood said the force would never give up their search for the teenager’s killer and appealed for people to help the family to find some peace by catching the person responsible for her murder.

On Friday, the 19-year-old’s mother, Tina, also pleaded for anyone with information relating to the murder of her daughter to come forward and give it to Cleveland Police regardless of how small they thought the information could be.

Rachel’s body was discovered on an isolated farm track on the outskirts of Middlesbrough on June 27 two years ago, more than a decade of she went missing from her home town.

A Cleveland Police spokeswoman said: “Detectives investigating the murder of Rachel Wilson have arrested a 55-year-old man on suspicion of her murder at an address in Middlesbrough this morning. The man is currently in police custody. Rachel’s family have been informed of the arrest.”

The teenager was last seen at 2.30am on May 31, 2002, when CCTV images showed her walking along Southfield Road, in Middlesbrough town centre.

Rachel, a known sex worker, was one of three young women who went missing from Middlesbrough in a four-year period. Donna Keogh was 17 when she disappeared in 1998 from Hartington Road, near the Shipmate pub, in Middlesbrough town centre.

The body of Vicky Glass was found in a shallow grave on the North York Moors in November 2000, two months after she vanished.

The 55-year-old remains in police custody while detectives continue their investigations.

Anyone with information is asked to call Cleveland police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800-555-111.