A MAN has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Jessica Patel.

Cleveland Police have confirmed a 37-year-old man has been arrested in the West Yorkshire area.

Jessica Patel, originally from the Leeds area, died in her home on The Avenue in Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, at around 8.20pm on Monday, May 14.

The man remains in police custody at this time.

Detective Superintendent Tariq Ali, from Cleveland Police, said earlier today: “A team of detectives continues to work hard to establish the facts about exactly what happened to Jessica on Monday evening.

“Local people have been left shocked by what has happened in their neighbourhood. Whilst we aren’t able to say much for operational reasons, people can be reassured that we do have officers working on this enquiry round the clock.

“Officers are continuing to trawl through hours of CCTV footage today, as they build a picture of Jessica’s movements prior to her death on Monday evening.

“We know that Jessica was a well-liked and well-respected member of the local community, and that a lot of people knew her from working at the pharmacy.

“Specialist officers are continuing to work closely with Jessica’s family to offer support to them through this extremely difficult time.

“We would again continue to appeal for anyone with dash cam footage or other footage from Monday evening around the area of The Avenue, particularly between the junctions with The Crescent and Lancaster Road, to contact us.”

  • Anyone with information is asked to contact Cleveland Police on 101, quoting event number 85888. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or www.crimestoppers-uk.org