Police arrest school cleaner and charge him with murder of Stephanie Scott.
UPDATE:
A 24-year-old man has been charged with the murder of Leeton school teacher Stephanie Scott.
Vincent Stanford was a cleaner at Leeton High School, where Ms Scott was a drama and English teacher.
He will be transported to Griffith Local Court shortly and is expected to appear before a magistrate this afternoon.
Police have also located Ms Scott’s red Mazda 3 Sedan on private property, west of Leeton.
During a news conference, a police representative confirmed there is “sufficient” evidence to charge the suspect with murder.
Police said they have not yet found Ms Scott’s body at this stage but the search is a “priority”.
Two crime scenes have been established, police said. One at the Maiden Avenue residence where the accused was arrested last night, and the other on the Wamoon property where Ms Scott’s vehicle was found.
Police are appealing to members of the public who have seen the white Toyota Hilux Space Cab traveling around Leeton in recent days. They would not confirm the reason for focusing on the vehicle.
The man charged with Scott’s murder had only been in Leeton for 13 months prior to the alleged offence, police said.
Ms Scott’s family have asked to have their privacy respected.
“This is tragic for the family, it’s tragic for the people of Leeton, tragic for the people of NSW and for society in general,” a police representative said during a news conference.
Mamamia previously reported…
Vincent Stanford, a cleaner at Leeton High School, where Ms Scott worked, has been taken into police custody and will appear in court later today.
Police allegedly found blood in a vehicle and images of what is believed to be a burnt body on a mobile phone. The device has been seized by police, however police would not confirm those reports.
Fairfax Media reports authorities focused on Mr Stanford after finding holes in his alibi and items linked to Ms Scott.
Home of Vincent Stanford remains a crime scene as police investigate suspected murder of teacher Stephanie Scott pic.twitter.com/onw1EsS7pe
— Ashlee Mullany (@AshleeMullany) April 8, 2015
Ms Scott, a 26-year-old from Leeton in the Riverina region of NSW has been missing since Easter Sunday.
She and her partner, 24-year-old Aaron Leeson-Woolley, were due to be married this weekend.
Related content: Stephanie Scott seemed to be so excited for her wedding, now she’s nowhere to be found.
Last night, police attended a home on Maiden Avenue where they spoke to two residents, and eventually arrested a third resident when he arrived home at 7.30pm.
Mr Stanford was taken to Leeton police station and is assisting police with investigations.
Officers have still not found Ms Scott or her vehicle — a red Mazda 3 sedan with licence plate BZ-19-CD– and are appealing to the public for information.
Police are also hoping to speak to people who may have seen a white Toyota Hilux space-cab with a canopy over the back, traveling in the area.
According to Mr Woolley, Ms Scott was last seen at 1pm on Sunday.
“She went up to school to do a couple of essays and just get organised before we went on our honeymoon, that was 10:15am, 10:30am,” he told ABC News.
“She got the key at 11:00am off one of her other colleagues and one of my friends has seen her at 1:00pm at Woolies.
“That’s the last sight of her.”
He and Ms Scott have been together for five years and were due to be married on Saturday.
According to a Facebook post, the English and drama teacher said of her wedding: “so excited, not long now.”
Following her disappearance on Sunday, Ms Scott’s fiancee said her disappearance was “out of character”, and her friends had widely said it was “no way it was cold feet”.
More to come.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.